Time does not puncture every moment
Sometimes pieces of it get trapped inside you
And they become the memories that won't let go of your soul
And these memories are the ones that haunt you
The ones that hurt your heart
The ones that tangle up your mind
The ones that make you want to go
back in time to where it all began and tell her
that you've spent a lifetime without her
And because of it
Life has no meaning
~ Jonny Ox
EPOV
I had finally convinced Carlisle to speak to the other Quileutes, the ones that were not on the council. After some research on Bella and her ancestry I had discovered that Jacob Black was the direct descendant of two ancient families, and therefore, the rightful chief. I urged Carlisle to persuade the others to hold an emergency vote as outlined in their ancient laws as a possibility and sometimes a necessity. They unanimously chose Jacob as their chief, ousting Sam, the elderly Quil, and Jacob’s father William, proving that many of the pack were tired of Sam’s reign. Sam had only disgraced himself more by stalking Emily Young once she moved to the La Push reservation, and Leah had broken their engagement as a result. Emily wanted nothing to do with Sam, as well, leaving him to his own devices.
My family drafted a new treaty to offer at the first council meeting of the new members; Carlisle was adamant that being able to swear that I had been incommunicado with Bella would appease the elders and ease the transition. The new contract was more mutually beneficial and much less combative. I came back home to attend the meeting, observing Sue and Harry Clearwater as they helped Jacob to learn the ins and outs of running a meeting. They were friendly and warm, helpful, and fully involved in the betterment of their community. It would be a welcome change to have members that cared about their people as a whole, and not merely holding a position of power. They were happy to help me find the oldest records of the tribe, the bits I hadn’t been able to find online. I had information on Bella that I wanted to confirm.
I learned much in the few days that the Quileutes allowed my family to be in their village. Having the ability to read their minds gave me a deeper insight into Bella’s daily life before she left. Unfortunately, it served as a constant reminder that she and I were far separated, when I longed to envelop her in my arms and tell her of all that we had accomplished to mend the issues within the tribe. However, I was a man of some patience, and I knew we had mere days left before she and I could be happy together. It didn’t stop the nagging ache in my chest where my heart should beat, or the loneliness that struck at the end of the day when the others retreated to their bedrooms and all of my thoughts came crashing back down on me. So I finally caved and got in touch with her by phone.
The leaves had changed from emerald to ocher to russet, and the pace of the wind quickened since I was last here. On my second day with the council, I became aware of impending trouble. It seemed that Sam had become entirely disillusioned and recruited a handful of the wolves to attempt to stage a coup against the council and ‘dispose of the filthy, stinking leeches.’ Their thoughts were erratic and volatile and included taking out their own brothers if they stood in their way. I knew it was time for my family to retreat back to their own home in order to let the tribe figure out where they wanted to go onward from there. I shared with Jacob what I had learned, not letting it slip that I ‘heard’ it in their heads, and then finally I was able to turn my full attention to Seattle.
My family kept a house in a suburb of Seattle, the same neighborhood where I’d gotten Bella an apartment. I smelled her everywhere, felt her as the reification of life pulsing through my veins. My very bones shivered with the need to reconnect and claim Bella as mine; my mate, my imprint, the largest portion of my soul. I located her scent in the park, and I discerned that she ran there often. Her wolf had a parallel and distinct scent that I enjoyed almost as much as the natural embodiment of Bella. I favored a large boulder to sit on and breathe her essence in and out of my lungs, urging the particles to lodge themselves in my tissues. I’d hoped to catch a glimpse of her, but I knew that I was merely taunting myself. I settled on speaking to her on the phone, but I wanted to explain what I had been doing in person. After all, I only had one last task before we could reunite, and I intended to complete it post-haste.
And so I found myself on a Monday afternoon in the college that contained the love of my existence, searching for the cadence of her heartbeat to soothe my soul. I was signed up in all of her classes, after hacking into the college’s system yesterday to find her schedule. I lined mine up with hers, and provided all of my own forged documents while I was at it, before backing out of the admissions program undetected. I’d been in the physical office that morning to receive a student identification card, and now I was finished with my shenanigans.
The classroom was a large lecture hall with multiple doorways. The area as a whole was redolent with my Bella, and my eager and sharp sight narrowed in on her form sitting in a chair across the room. I carefully picked my way through the throng of humans, pushing aside their odors and simply focusing on my mate. A thousand different possibilities ran through my mind in an instant—a thousand different ways to touch her. The tip of my finger tracing the shape of her lips. My palm cupping under her chin. Pulling the clip from her hair and letting it spill out across my hand. My arms winding around her waist, holding her against the length of my body.
I frowned as I drew near, for her heart rate was spiked, and I sensed the panic as it vibrated off her body in waves. I circled in order to approach her head on, and extended my hand as her head snapped up.
“Hello. My name is Edward Cullen.” I gave her my lopsided smile.
Dark, shining eyes grew wide as she stared at me, her mouth open and jaw slack. Tremulous words hovered on the tip of her tongue, but I heard nothing concrete. Finally, she pushed down on the table in front of her and slowly stood, and I took in her long mahogany hair swept back in a plastic clip, the cable knit sweater the color of the sea, and tight jeans molded to her legs. I wanted to steal her from the school and run with her far and fast, before devouring her in one bite.
“E-Edward?” she finally whispered, and I feared she assumed me an apparition.
I took a step forward, and her pupils dilated. “Truly, I am here.”
She inhaled sharply before her legs gave out and she was forced to sink back in her chair. I chuckled and moved behind her to take the seat next to her. I rested my hand on the table, palm up, as she swiveled toward me and stared into my eyes. When her small, smooth hand slid into mine, I exhaled the breath I had not realized I was holding.
Home.
“Oh, my God, you weren’t kidding when you said soon,” she uttered, her voice still dropped to a low octave. I tentatively touched her minky hair, running my fingers through the ends. Her eyes slipped closed, and she heaved a contented sigh.
“A lifetime has passed since I last looked upon you, and you have only grown more exquisite. My existence has been a void without you by my side.”
“I missed you,” she breathed, opening her eyes. They burned into mine. “So much.” Her simple words meant more to me than any voiced since the beginning of time—with the exception of when she first declared her love.
“I will be here, as long as you will have me,” I vowed.
“Don’t ever leave me again,” she said fiercely, grabbing the front of my shirt in her fists. “I mean it.”
With that utterance, my soul was more than complete. “I swear it.” I cradled her hands in my own.
She smiled. “You’ll love the apartment.” Her smile grew, and I wondered of what she thought.
“Do you truly want me there? I have a place—”
“Edward. We’ve been apart for months. I couldn’t bear it if you stayed anywhere else. I’m seriously considering ditching this class.”
“I would normally agree, but you like school.” I could think of so many ways to pass the time that did not include these four walls or such a crowd.
“I love it here,” she agreed. “I love you more.”
“As I love you, sweet Bella.” I cast my gaze over her face, reading her expression. The fire in her eyes spread to me and caught inside my belly, igniting the inferno. “We should leave.”
With great haste, I grabbed her bag and her hand, and walked at slightly more than a normal human pace toward the exit. She threw me her truck keys as we maneuvered through the shadows of the buildings to the parking lot, until we were stalled by the sunlight. I dropped her backpack and pushed her against the brick wall, resting my palms on either side of her head. Leaning into her lissome body and inhaling along the skin of her throat, I rested my temple to hers. I groaned at the sensations swirling in my head; the scent of her arousal, her quickening heartbeat, and when I opened my mouth I could taste her on the air.
“I cannot resist your allure, Bella-mine.”
“I’m not trying to start something that can’t be finished here, but fuck do you look amazing. You smell so good, and I want to take you so deep inside me we’ll never forget what it feels like to be complete.”
Christ, she was truly going to be the end of my eternity. No longer able to resist, I pulled away from her hair and touched my lips to hers. Lights exploded behind my closed eyelids, and I absorbed the whimper that shot up her throat. Her hands twisted in my hair, pulling in the way that always managed to ratchet up my lust. My tongue invaded her mouth the way she invaded my senses, and I stroked along her tongue until she gasped against my mouth.
“Air. I need air, or I would never stop kissing you.” Her eyes were bright, her cheeks flushed. I smelled the blood that rose to the surface of her skin and realized that I had missed all aspects of my Bella.
“Let us try again to leave.” I glanced over my shoulder and deemed the sky cloudy enough. No matter how engrossed I became in my mate, I must remember to keep my nature a secret. Together, we dashed to her vehicle, and I threw her bag in the floorboard on her side before closing her door. I jogged to the driver’s side and slid in, glancing at her jubilant expression before backing out of the parking space.
I knew the way to her home, but asked for directions out of courtesy. She assured me no one else was home at that time of day, and showed me her assigned parking for the building. Hand in hand, we headed to the complex’s front doors. I was looking at the key ring in my hand when I heard her gasp.
“Edward!”
Focusing on her, I found her looking not at me, but at the ground. There, curled up on the mat, was a tiny ball of white and grey fluff. I frowned as Bella bent and scooped up the furball. “Bella.”
“Oh, look at how adorable he is! I want to keep him, what do you think?” The expression on her face was enough to sway my original opinion of a wolf and a vampire owning a cat.
“Of course, baby. It is an excellent idea.” I squashed the desire for her that had barely dimmed, realizing that I was currently out of luck.
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