I could see him now. And I could see that he could not see me.
It was really him, no hallucination this time. And I realized that my delusions were more flawed than I’d realized; they’d never done him justice.
Edward stood, motionless as a statue, just a few feet from the mouth of the alley. His eyes were closed, the rings underneath them deep purple, his arms relaxed at his sides, his palms turned forward. His expression was very peaceful, like he was dreaming pleasant things. The marble skin of his chest was bare—there was a small pile of white fabric at his feet. The light reflecting from the pavement of the square gleamed dimly from his skin.
I’d never seen anything more beautiful—even as I ran, gasping and screaming, I could appreciate that. And the last seven months meant nothing. And his words in the forest meant nothing. And it did not matter if he did not want me. I would never want anything but him, no matter how long I lived.
The clock tolled, and he took a large stride toward the light.
“No!” I screamed. “Edward, look at me!”
He wasn’t listening. He smiled very slightly. He raised his foot to take the step that would put him directly in the path of the sun.
I slammed into him so hard that the force would have hurled me to the ground if his arms hadn’t caught me and held me up. It knocked my breath out of me and snapped my head back.
His dark eyes opened slowly as the clock tolled again.
He looked down at me with quiet surprise.
“Amazing,” he said, his exquisite voice full of wonder, slightly amused. “Carlisle was right.”
“Edward,” I tried to gasp, but my voice had no sound. “You’ve got to get back into the shadows. You have to move!”
He seemed bemused. His hand brushed softly against my cheek. He didn’t appear to notice that I was trying to force him back. I could have been pushing against the alley walls for all the progress I was making. The clock tolled, but he didn’t react.
It was very strange, for I knew we were both in mortal danger. Still, in that instant, I felt well. Whole. I could feel my heart racing in my chest, the blood pulsing hot and fast through my veins again. My lungs filled deep with the sweet scent that came off his skin. It was like there had never been any hole in my chest. I was perfect—not healed, but as if there had been no wound in the first place.
“I can’t believe how quick it was. I didn’t feel a thing—they’re very good,” he mused, closing his eyes again and pressing his lips against my hair. His voice was like honey and velvet. “Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath, hath had no power yet upon thy beauty,” he murmured, and I recognized the line spoken by Romeo in the tomb. The clock boomed out its final chime. “You smell just exactly the same as always,” he went on. “So maybe this is hell. I don’t care. I’ll take it.”
“I’m not dead,” I interrupted. “And neither are you! Please Edward, we have to move. They can’t be far away!”
I struggled in his arms, and his brow furrowed in confusion.
“What was that?” he asked politely.
“We’re not dead, not yet! But we have to get out of here before the Volturi—”
Comprehension flickered on his face as I spoke. Before I could finish, he suddenly yanked me away from the edge of the shadows, spinning me effortlessly so that my back was tight against the brick wall, and his back was to me as he faced away into the alley. His arms spread wide, protectively, in front of me.
I peeked under his arm to see two dark shapes detach themselves from the gloom.
“Greetings, gentlemen,” Edward’s voice was calm and pleasant, on the surface. “I don’t think I’ll be requiring your services today. I would appreciate it very much, however, if you would send my thanks to your masters.”
“Shall we take this conversation to a more appropriate venue?” a smooth voice whispered menacingly.
“I don’t believe that will be necessary.” Edward’s voice was harder now. “I know your instructions, Felix. I haven’t broken any rules.”
“Felix merely meant to point out the proximity of the sun,” the other shadow said in a soothing tone. They were both concealed within smoky gray cloaks that reached to the ground and undulated in the wind. “Let us seek better cover.”
“I’ll be right behind you,” Edward said dryly. “Bella, why don’t you go back to the square and enjoy the festival?”
“No, bring the girl,” the first shadow said, somehow injecting a leer into his whisper.
“I don’t think so.” The pretense of civility disappeared. Edward’s voice was flat and icy. His weight shifted infinitesimally, and I could see that he was preparing to fight.