Devil Incarnate Epilogue

Turning a full circle, his gaze washed over the muted green walls of Bella’s childhood bedroom. The passing years hadn't been very kind to the Swan house, as evidenced by the peeling paint and sagging floorboards. 

Devil Incarnate Chapter Thirty

The air was sultry with light summer rain, causing damp tendrils of hair to stick to the back of her neck. In irritation, she flagged down the server—of course he'd been checking her out the entire time she sat there—to pay her bill. Once she'd paid, she left the covered flagstone patio to meander through the crowd on the sidewalk, breathing deeply of the briny air coming off Elliott Bay.

Devil Incarnate Chapter Twenty-nine

Once the dust settled, Quinn realized he was more than a little pissed at his parents. At first, he'd blamed his father. Edward told them the plan was to kill Bella; just dropped it like a bomb in their laps on the way to the lab.

Devil Incarnate Chapter Twenty-eight

Bella thought maybe she was dreaming. Soon, she would awaken in a world where Zion had never targeted them and no one had died. If that happened, then she couldn't be standing in a room full of dead bodies, the President of the United States, her only son . . . and her mother.

Devil Incarnate Chapter Twenty-seven

"Something’s not right."

Devil Incarnate Chapter Twenty-six

Legs planted and hands on his waist, Edward surveyed the surrounding area, not seeing anything of importance. Where fires burned at the last compound, there was nothing but darkness to greet them at the location near the bunker in Virginia. 

Devil Incarnate Chapter Twenty-five

Everything was covered in blood—his wife's blood. The floor, the wall, the chair, her clothing . . . their son. He clenched his jaw, exhaling the reeking sulfur still emanating from his Ruger.

Devil Incarnate Chapter Twenty-four

With the French doors open to the sounds of the night, Bella heard the whir of the garage door opening. A few moments later, headlights cut through the oppressive darkness. She counted three sets before they rounded the curve in the driveway.

Devil Incarnate Chapter Twenty-three

With her world crumbling around her, Bella didn't have the strength to get out of bed for days. Her emotions were all over the place, and there was nowhere to steady her balance. If needed, she knew she could turn to some of the others; to Rose, Angela, or Leah. Everyone had come to see her, including her husband. She was at the point where she hated him, hated herself, and hated what Zion had done to them. Somehow, in less time than she could comprehend, she could no longer stand the sight of her own spouse. Between what he might have done with Gianna to not securing a place for her mother and Afton to remain hidden, and many, many more offenses, Bella couldn't find it in herself to forgive him. It felt that every op they’d participated in from day one had only made everything worse, and he'd been in charge of each of them. 

Devil Incarnate Chapter Twenty-two

Bella had locked herself in their bedroom, and he couldn't blame her. A few people had visited with her, including the kids, but Edward hadn't even attempted to enter the room. The last words she’d spoken to him reverberated in his head several times a day. Hell, he’d said them often enough himself over the years; they were meant to be cutting, after all. That she blamed him was obvious, but he figured she needed some time to move past it and accept what had happened. They all understood the risks, and there’d been a few casualties along the way. 

Devil Incarnate Chapter Twenty-one

“Jesus Christ, what happened to you?” Quinn ran down the handful of steps into the garage as their contingent arrived home. “Have you seen a doctor?”

Devil Incarnate Chapter Twenty

The explosion didn't even make them jump. The enemy was nothing if not predictable in one thing; they wanted the Cullens dead by any means necessary. Weaving through the pillars, Bella dodged a bullet and ducked low. Checking her clip, she glanced around to see who was nearest. Kiernan, a few agency operatives, and Emmett were the closest to her location. Emmett appeared to struggle with finding ammunition, so Bella whistled at him. He glanced up, and she tossed her spare magazine in his direction. Nodding, he reloaded and aimed at the men shooting at them. The responding shout made it clear he’d hit at least one of them.

Devil Incarnate Chapter Nineteen

Morning did not bring peace of mind. Clarity was lost in the wind, and so was her sanity. Bella had known—known—sex wasn't the answer. They were on opposite sides of the planet emotionally, and being intimate physically couldn't fix that. 

Devil Incarnate Chapter Eighteen

Storming from the house, Bella let her emotions fuel the pumping of her legs. She ran until she couldn't see the house, until the only vision in front of her was the endless green of the forest. Her lungs burned, sweat stung her eyes, but it didn’t matter. All she could focus on was getting away.

Devil Incarnate Chapter Seventeen

Blinking awake, Edward turned his head to watch Bella sleep. Bruises in varying colors covered her body, reminding him of why he had to put his plan in motion immediately. Her behavior had become erratic, and though part of him couldn't blame her with all the stress they were under, he knew what had to be done. It was his chef who'd told him of Bella's meltdown in the kitchen the previous day. She'd gone to Rose, hoping to find a sympathetic ear. Instead, Rosalie and Tyler were scared for her mental health. It pleased him to know they remained loyal to him, alerting him when something was amiss. Even if that something was a someone—a member of the family. 

Devil Incarnate Chapter Sixteen

Holden assured them they could go home the following morning. Bella was stiff and sore, but Quinn seemed to be fine as long as he kept on top of his pain meds. Lola met them at the front steps of the Cullen home, throwing her arms around his waist. 

Devil Incarnate Chapter Fifteen

By the time Holden arrived at the safe house, the doctor had come and gone. After giving them each several stitches, he administered stronger pain medication to Bella and Quinn and recommended a follow up with their regular physician, which nearly had Edward laughing. Next time, they would simply walk into an urgent care clinic and not bother to explain why they were shot by law enforcement impersonators. That would go over like a lead balloon. 

Devil Incarnate Chapter Fourteen

A wrenching sound left Bella’s mouth at the sight of her son covered in blood. “Edward, we have to do something!”

Devil Incarnate Chapter Thirteen

Edward skipped breakfast. Everything about their daily rituals had gone to shit, but he couldn't eat with the mixture of feelings churning through his stomach, anyway. Bella had always been stubborn, it was true, and he would typically ignore his knee-jerk reactions and let her do what she wanted without complaint. But what she proposed was so dangerous, he simply couldn't allow it. He'd backed down when she insisted Garrett had to be the person who went to the phone booth, and he'd done it because he saw how important it was to her. There was more fear than common sense behind her insistence, but he'd agreed for the sake of her sanity. 

Devil Incarnate Chapter Twelve

The sound of running water was all Bella heard when she woke early the next morning. Time was running out; they'd have to move quickly to inform Zion of their acquisition. A million things needed done, a hundred items checked off a list. More meetings, more decisions, more arguments.