MeteorOnAMoonlessNight

Tuesday, August 31, 2021

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.

Devil Incarnate Chapter Eleven

Bella’s heart felt more whole once she returned to Quinn and the girls. Back at the house, they made arrangements for Kiernan to sleep in one of the many guest rooms and scheduled a basement meeting. Everyone knew him and what his agenda was by then, but it would take time to integrate him into their brood.

Devil Incarnate Chapter Ten

When Bella opened her eyes in the morning, she found she was wrapped up in Edward’s arms. All she wanted with every fiber of her being was to remain in bed with him, to love away the day. To pretend nothing was wrong. The warmth of his skin invited her to touch him, but she settled for kissing his brow.