LOVE AND DEATH, edward cullen

forty nine

━━ love and death. (2024)
edward cullen x fem!oc
chapter forty nine

I was resting against Edward on the couch inside the living room of his home. My chest was perched against his chest, my legs tucked on the cushions beside me and his arm protectively around me with his fingers caressing my right arm.

"Police are baffled by the escalating murders and disappearances. Theories range from a vicious new gang to a wildly active serial killer... Reporting live, Dawn Chubai. CNN."

I looked down at my hands, dread filling my veins as Carlisle turned off the tv with a strong sigh. "It's getting worse. We're going to have to do something."

"It takes more than one of our kind to cause the damage they're reporting." Jasper spoke up from a lounge chair beside the couch. "Quite a few more. They're undisciplined, conspicuous..."

Edwards fingers stopped moving against my arm abruptly. "Newborns."

I furrowed my eyebrows and carefully pulled myself up without elbowing him in the stomach. "What, like new vampires?"

Edward nodded. "In their first few months after the change."

"That's when we're at our most uncontrollable, vicious, insane with thirst." I glanced over at Jasper as he spoke, his golden eyes piercing mine and I found myself swallowing a nauseous feeling down my throat.

Emmett, who was sitting on the arm of the couch by my feet, started cracking his knuckles. "Something to look forward to."

I shot him a worried glance, "that's not funny."

"No one has trained these newborns, but this isn't random." Jasper added.

"Someone's creating an army." The four of us turned our attention towards Carlisle where he stood near the tv, tapping the remote against his chin. Jasper began to nod in agreement as Emmett rose from the couch with a grin. "Oh, now we're definitely going to Seattle."

Edward must've sensed the shift in my body language as my anxiety started to shift into gear. I was suddenly sitting up straight with my feet on the ground and my hands gripping my knees. He started rubbing my back comfortingly as I spoke. "So — an army of vampires? For what? Me?"

The room grew silent and Edwards' hand briefly paused its movements against my back until he held my shoulder and carefully began to massage it. "We're the only clan even close to Seattle."

"Regardless of who they are," Carlisle countered. "If we don't put a stop to them, the Volturi will. I'm surprised they've let it go on this long."

I glanced down at my hands just as Edward turned his face towards his father. Suddenly the cream color of the carpet was more interesting than this conversation.

"Maybe they're behind it. In Italy, I read Aro's mind — " Edward added. "He wants me, Alice, and Edythe to join him. Our gifts would shore up his power. And for Aspen — " I chilled at the mention of my name and looked over at my boyfriend. His gaze was much softer on mine, more calm but worried as his eyebrows furrowed at the memory. "He's seen what she can do and if start putting her through training, there's no doubt he'll want her too." He then shook his head slowly and his eyes flickered towards Carlisle. "He knows we'd never choose him as long as our family is still alive."

A brief pause in his thoughts caused him to reach for my hand and give it a firm squeeze. "I won't let them anywhere near Aspen as long as I'm alive, he knows what. An army could solve that for him."

A chill rushed straight down my spine like a bucket of cold water was dumped all over me. Italy was such a complete rush for all of us that I almost forgot what it was truly like to experience. Edward informed me that the Volturi were always true to their word — there's no escaping them."