Dark Goddess (Original Version)

widened as he realized that Rose had successfully goaded him into showing his
cards.


"Jessica Stanley?" Emmett repeated. "My sister's girlfriend?"

Yorkie spoke up. "That's not what she said. She said she was your brother's
girlfriend."

"First she goes to the tabloids and says I sexually harassed her, and now she says
we're together?" Jacob shook his head. "And you believed her?"


Newton rolled his eyes and glanced pointedly at his watch, as if he didn't have
time to be bothered by petty things such as facts, but Yorkie was scribbling in a
small notebook.


Rose took a card from her purse. "We're leaving now, Detectives. If you need to
speak to my client again, contact me and I'll see what I can arrange. But unless you
come packing a warrant, I wouldn't count on me returning your calls." Rose turned
and started up the stairs into the plane and Newton actually lunged forward a step.
Yorkie put his hand on Newton's arm and spoke rapidly into his ear, togging him
toward their waiting sedan.

"This isn't over," he hissed at Edward.


"Oh, good," Rose chirped. "More billable hours!"

Inside the plane, they all sank down into the plush chairs with sighs. Bella
grimaced at the leather and scooted down to sit on the floor with her back against
the bulkhead.

"Well, this sucks," Rose noted. "Apparently, Tanya decided she was going to give
up her old life when she got vamped and she was going to use the opportunity to
frame you, Edward."

"But why would she do that if she knew she was going to kidnap him?" Nessa
asked.


Rose shrugged. "She was not exactly famed for being a logical thinker. Maybe she
was hoping that if he was being harassed by the cops, he'd be more willing to run
away with her, or something."


"I wish we could put her back together so we could kill her again," Jacob

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muttered.


"Rose, did you really go to Stanford?" Emmett asked suddenly.

Rose let out an exasperated laugh. "Of course I did! Did you think I'd made it up?"


"Well, I didn't know if it was one of the identities you set up, or something,"
Emmett mumbled. Jacob could see a subtle change in his demeanor. Emmett had
always felt dumb and having further evidence of Rose's intelligence would
intimidate him. Jacob made a mental note to speak to him later.


"No one is better at circumventing the law than a lawyer," Rose said breezily.



The roar of the plane engine made Edward's ears hurt. He tried using the
earplugs that the flight attendant brought him, but they only helped a little. Bella
didn't seem bothered by it. She chatted amicably with Rose and Nessa. He knew he
ought to be paying attention to the conversation because they were making plans,
but he was too miserable. He laid his head back against the seat and closed his eyes.


"Sorry, man," Jacob said from his seat across from Edward's. "Maybe we should
have drove."

Edward shook his head. "We'd never make it in time."


They were headed to a city on the southern coast. Rose had checked the schedule
for Brady's shipping line and discovered that a vessel would be leaving tomorrow
morning. Jinx and Brady were likely to be on it, Rose reasoned. It made sense: they
had to get out of the country fast and Brady didn't own a plane. He was unlikely to
fly commercial out of fear he might be held in a layover or trapped on a plane as
dawn broke over the horizon.

"How'd your mom take it?" Jacob asked, and his eyes were sympathetic.


"About as well as can be expected, I suppose. I don't think any mother can be fully
prepared for their son to come home and say 'Hi, mom! I'm dead, and I just wanted
to let you know you'll never get those grandchildren you wanted!'"


Jacob flinched. "I'm sorry."


Edward shook his head. "Not your fault."


- 326 -

"Sure, but I'm sorry just the same. I know that you wanted kids."


Edward didn't say anything. He knew it was an impossibility now. Even adoption
would be out of the question, at least until he was old enough not to conk out
instantly as soon as the sun broke over the horizon.( It had actually been a little
scary yesterday morning, the way the darkness had sucked him under, though Bella
had assured him it was normal.)

"You don't look much different," Jacob said, apropos of nothing. "Maybe a little
paler, but you always were a pasty-white fucker."


"We can't all be bronzed and beautiful like you, Jacob," Edward said.

"What does it feel like?" Jacob took a drink of his Coke.


"I'm not sure yet," Edward confessed. "I'm still a bit overwhelmed by the
enhanced senses. I can hear your heartbeat from here."

Jacob was startled by that, and a bit discomfited. "Does the smell of blood still
bother you?"


Edward shook his head. "As long as I'm not hungry. Nessa got me some more
bottles of blood."


"I noticed Bella had to drink a couple herself. Is she okay?"

If Edward could have blushed, he would have been scarlet. "Yeah, um ... I ... uh ..."


Jacob chuckled. "Need a cigar?"

"There's not enough tobacco in the world."


"That much different? Better?"

Edward kept his eyes fastened on the floor.


Jacob grinned. "Which explains why you guys didn't leave your room all evening."


"Jake," said Edward, pained.

"Okay, okay, I won't tease you about it, but you've got me curious." He fell silent
for a moment and then said softly, "Edward ... Are you okay? I mean, you seem to be

- 327 -

handling this pretty well, but ..."


Edward gave him a faint smile. "It's not like I have much of a choice."

"We never talked about it," Jacob said, as if he had just realized it. "Did you ever
think you'd want to be a vampire?"


Edward tapped his fingers on the arm rest. "Honestly, I never thought about it."
He flicked his eyes up to meet Jacob's. "Do you want to?"


Jacob blinked. "I ... uh ..."


"We've got a problem," Rose said suddenly. She had just taken the plane's
telephone away from her ear and dropped it into the cradle.


"What?"

"They're already gone. I called around until I found a friend-of-a-friend who knows
someone on Brady's crew. The ship left a day early."


"Shit!" Jacob said. "Do we know where they're headed, at least?"

"Several ports of call, but the last one is Italy." Rose rubbed her temples. "I think
they're going to the Queen."

































- 328 -

Chapter 24





.



Chapter Twenty-four




"Why would they want to see the Queen?" Jacob asked. "What could they possibly
hope to gain from that, especially when Victoria is bound to be pissed that Brady
created a fledgeling without permission?"

Rose shook her head. "They'll simply claim he did it in extremis. To save her life."
Rose added the last when it was apparent the Latin term was unfamiliar to most of
her audience. "And since Tanya isn't here to confirm or deny it ..."

"But Victoria knows Jinx wants to start a war."


"You don't understand." Rose ran a hand through her hair. "Bella killed Brady's
fledgeling. It doesn't matter why she did it. The law doesn't have a 'nasty bitch'
exception clause. Just like human law, actually. If you've got a beef with someone
you sue them or call the cops; you don't take the law into your own hands. Bella
should have taken it to the Council and then the Volturi would have carried out the
sentence."


Edward flinched. "Isn't there any sort of in extremis exception for that, as well? If,
perhaps, Bella said she was trying to save me from Tanya ... ?"

"There is, but there are two witnesses who will swear you were dead before Bella
arrived."


"But doesn't that make it even worse for them?" Jacob asked. "Nessa, you told me
that vampires are responsible for whatever their fledglings do for a year or so,
right?"


Nessa nodded slightly. "To a certain extent. If Brady knew that Tanya was killing
people and didn't try to stop her or turn her over to the Volturi for punishment ...
But in this case, Brady never had a chance to do anything because Bella killed Tanya
right after the crime."



- 329 -

"So, is Brady legally responsible for Edward's ... death?" Jacob obviously didn't
want to say the last word. Edward gave him a small smile to tell him it was all right.


"Yes and no. I'm sure the way Jinx and Brady will tell the story will make it seem
like they thought she was perfectly stable and she attacked so fast that they couldn't
stop her, and Bella killed Tanya before they could address it with the Volturi." Nessa
cleared her throat and looked distinctly uncomfortable. "They'll likely have to pay a
fine."

"A fucking fine?" Jacob repeated, incredulous and outraged. "My best friend is
now one of the un-fucking-dead and they're going to ask Brady to pay a fine?" He
glanced over at Edward. "Uh, no offense, man. You know I'd rather have you with
us, undead, rather than real dead."

Edward waved a hand. "None taken."


"A fucking fine. Jesus!" Jacob shook his head and muttered dark and dire things
under his breath.


"The only vampires who are destroyed for breaking the law are those who let their
fledgelings run wild," Nessa said. She bit her lip and flinched when she saw the rage
on Jacob's face. "The queen knows that most of the in extremis claims are probably
bullshit, but most of the people are ones that the Council or Victoria herself would
have approved anyway. The law pretty much exists so they can punish the vamps
who irresponsibly or intentionally create murderous fledgelings and let them run
amok, which puts all vampire-kind in danger."


"I can't believe this," Jacob muttered. "Tanya was murderous. Bitch was crazy
even before she was changed and it doesn't appear that being vamped improved her
mental health much."

Nessa let out a short puff of exasperation. "I know this, Jacob. I'm on your side.
I'm just trying to tell you their point of view. The Council will see it as it being their
role to make that decision and decide what sentence to impose, not Bella. And now
she's gunning for Brady. The Queen is obligated to protect him if he asks her,
because right now, he's legally innocent and Bella is the one breaking the law in
trying to bring him harm. Think of it in human terms. You could ask the courts for a
restraining order or police protection against someone trying to attack you."

"She not stop me," Bella said quietly. "Both Brady and Shinx. They die."


Nessa closed her eyes. "And if Victoria lets Bella kill Jinx, she could be facing a

- 330 -

war with the fae."


"You're kidding. They'd fight a war over that asshole?"

"There aren't many of them left," Nessa pointed out. "And relations between
vamps and the fae have been a little ... touchy as it is."


Jacob turned to Bella. "Honey, maybe we'd better not go."

"You not have to go," Bella replied. "But I go."


"Honey ..."

Bella spoke to Nessa. "You call Queen and say I come. I not hurt her if she not try
to stop me. My power greater than she know. She not win if she try fight me. You
sure tell her that."

"I ... I will," Nessa said. "But, Bella, it won't be just Victoria you're up against. The
Volturi -"


Bella patted Nessa's hand. "I no want kill them, but I will, if make me."

"Maybe we should just wait until Jinx and Brady think you've calmed down and
leave Victoria's protection," Rose suggested.

Bella set her jaw in that stubborn look that they all were becoming familiar with.
"Tell plane go It'ly."


"Let's try Dakar first," Rose said. "That's the first port of call. Maybe we can catch
them before they get to Victoria."

"If they left early, are you sure they're going to all of the places that they're
scheduled?" Jacob asked.

"No. But it's worth a shot, right?"


"Bella?" Edward asked. "It's your decision."


She nodded. "We try catch them first."

Edward pressed the button on the armrest to call the flight attendant.



- 331 -

Jacob woke sometime in the afternoon and found Bella sitting at the end of his
bed. She was watching Blues Clues, the volume so low that he could only hear the
faintest of sounds if he strained. She turned her head and smiled at him. "I wake you
up?"

"Nah," Jacob sat up and stretched. "Probably time for me to get up anyway." He
glanced over at the clock and saw that it was early afternoon, many hours before
they had to be back at the airport to take off again. They'd landed here, refueled and
had to file a new flight plan, which meant a lay-over, so they'd decided to spend the
day in a hotel where they'd be more comfortable. Thankfully, Rose had remembered
to bring their passports, including the new one she had made for Emmett, who'd
never been out of his home state, let alone the country.

"What brings you in here, honey?"


She turned off the television. "I not spend much time with you since Edwurr
change."

"Hey," he said, and gave her a tender smile. "That's okay. Really. He's going
through a lot right now and he needs you."


"I worry 'bout him," she confessed.

"Me, too." Jake plumped up the pillows at his side and Bella crawled up to lay
down beside him. She laid her hand over his heart, as if comforted by its steady
thump. "He's ... well, we'd call it post-traumatic stress disorder, but you probably
have no idea what that means. Did you ever know anyone who went through
something terrible, like a soldier home from war, or people who survived a terrible
storm, and afterwards they were ... different?"

"Yes."


"It sometimes does something to their mind," Jacob told her. "It's a hurt they carry
around with them. Edward was murdered. That's pretty much about the most
traumatic thing that can happen to a person. If he were still human, we'd take him
to get medicine and talk to a psychiatrist. That's a -"


"Dr. Phil!" Bella said.

Jacob laughed. "You're right. We'd take him to see a Dr. Phil so he could talk
about it, but in his situation, he can't. The meds won't work on him now and he can't
exactly be honest with a psychiatrist."

- 332 -

Bella was silent for a moment. "Will Edwurr be okay without Dr. Phil?"


He leaned over to kiss her soft lips. "Yeah, I think so, honey. We'll give it a bit of
time and see how he handles it on his own, and then we'll see what we can do if he
seems like he still needs help after he's had a while to adjust."


They fell silent again and Jacob had nearly dozed off when Bella's voice jerked him
back to wakefulness. "Shaykob?"

"Mm?"


"I no want you to go."

"What? Why?"


"I could lose you." Pink tears welled up, though she tried to blink them back.
"When I thought Edwurr gone, I -" She closed her eyes and the tears rolled down her
cheeks.


"I'm sorry, Bella, but I can't sit this out. I can't let the people I love most in this
world go into danger without me. I know I'm still sort of breakable, but -"

"I change you," Bella offered.


His breath caught in his throat. Two visions flitted through his mind: In the first,
he picked up a little boy that ran to him squealing, "Daddy!" and in the second, he
saw a distant future where he stood by Edward and Bella's side, all of them forever
young, forever healthy, untouched by time's cruel hand. He shook his head slightly,
as if to clear it.

Edward was one of the most self-controlled people Jacob had ever known. If he
struggled to keep from attacking people, Jacob would be a mess and Bella didn't
need that additional burden. "Maybe later, honey. You don't need two fledgelings to
take care of right now, and I don't want the Queen to have another reason to be
pissed at you."


"Shaykob," she whispered. She cupped both of her hands around the side of his
face and kissed him softly, sweetly. He wrapped his arms around her, and for a
while, they were able to push away these sad thoughts and concentrate on the
pleasures of life and love.





- 333 -

When he woke, Edward leapt out of the bed and stumbled across the room, every
nerve tingling with alarm. Where the hell was he? He couldn't -


Hotel.

Bella sat up in the bed an stretched. He flicked his eyes around the room but saw
no one else, no danger. He could hear sounds from the rooms all around him, which
had probably been what had alarmed him. Arguments, conversations, water pouring
in showers, sex, canned laughter and theme songs on a hundred televisions ...


This was one aspect of being a vampire he disliked: instant wakefulness. There
was no snuggling against Bella's soft body and settling back for a bit of a pleasant
doze until the alarm went off again. He was immediately alert and usually woke in a
state of confusion, his mind still not used to the influx of sounds and scents.


Bella slid from the bed and went over to wrap her arms around him. "Okay?" she
asked softly. It was one of the few words she always spoke in English. She normally
spoke Quechua with him and there was a sweet intimacy to it, having their own
"private" language.


He nodded. "Yeah. I'm sorry. It's hard to get accustomed to the sharper senses."

"I remember. It would be worse in this time, I think. More people. More noises.
Strange smells. It is a different world than the one in which I woke." She brushed
the hair back from his forehead. "I promise that it will get better."

He drew her into his arms for a hug and laid his cheek on top of her head.


"Are you hungry?" she asked, and the words alone were enough to make his gut
clench and his fangs lengthen.

"I am."


"Come." Bella led him into the bathroom and turned on the shower. He watched
with hooded eyes as she stripped and then turned to slowly peel his clothes off him.
He followed her into the cubicle and it was a long while before they emerged.
Edward's new color vision meant he needed to re-explore her body and enjoy all of
the various shades of pink her skin had to offer, and so his mood was considerably
better as they rode the elevator down to the lobby.

They stepped out onto the sidewalk in front of the hotel and his senses were
immediately barraged by the sights, scents and sounds of night in the city. A bar

- 334 -

across the street spilled throbbing techno music into the street every time the door
opened. A couple drove by in a silver Volvo, snatches of the argument they were
having trailing behind them like ribbons. He might have stood there all night, a bit
overwhelmed by all of the sensory data, if Bella had not caught Edward's hand in
her own and led him across the street.


Edward dug in his heels when they reached the door to the bar. "Bella, I don't
want to go in there."

"It's not what you think," she said. "The humans are just a disguise."


Disguise? He followed her, curious. They wound through the crowd, past the
packed dance floor that moved like a singular organism to the pounding beat of the
music. The scent of blood, flesh and sweat of the frenetic dancers soaked the air. He
stopped breathing. The thunderous music competed with the sound of hundreds of
heartbeats, of shouted scraps of conversation. He wished he could shut off his ears,
as well.

Bella reached a door at the back of the club. It was well-concealed, painted the
same shade as the wall, flush against it, with only its knob as a clue it was there. A
bald bouncer sat on a wood stool beside it, his thickly muscled arms crossed over his
chest. Edward heard him sniff the air and then he rose to open the door for them.
"My lord, my lady," he said, and gave them a quick bow as they passed.


"What's with the titles?" Edward asked, but Bella's only response was a shrug.
They headed down a long, dim hallway which sloped downward, leading them
underground, starkly plain with pale tile on the floor and light gray walls. The music
faded away with every step that they took. It was almost completely silent before
they reached the double doors at the end of the hall. The doors were a strangely
incongruous touch in such an institutional-looking hallway: Large, dark-strained
wood with black, cast-iron hardware, arched at the top.


"What is this place?" Edward asked.

"It's a vampire's blood bar," Bella told him. "Nessa found it for us. We can find a
live donor or buy your dinner bottled, if you prefer." Bella tugged on one of the
handles and Edward gaped at what he saw inside.


It looked like a Goth whorehouse. He bit his lip to keep a straight face as he
glanced around. Someone had apparently decided to wholly embrace the cliché, and
Edward couldn't decide if it was intended to be facetious or not. The wall paper was
purple, printed with black lace fans. Against its gloom, the red velvet furniture stood

- 335 -

out starkly, as did the brass candelabra lighting the room. Soft music pulsed in the
background, set very low as to not offend vampire ears. Booths with high backs
lined the walls, also red velvet, and Romanesque divans were scattered around the
center of the room. Most bore a writhing couple, a vampire with a donor, or couples
caught up in the overtly sensual atmosphere. Along one wall was a typical bar with
high stools perched in front of it.


They headed toward the bar and Bella hopped up onto a stool. Edward stood
behind her, his hands resting lightly on her shoulders. The bartender strolled over,
wiping a glass with a towel.


Apparently, bartenders were a uniform breed across species because he looked as
though he'd be equally at home in a sports bar or cocktail lounge. "What can I
getcha?" he asked.


"What have?" Bella asked.

The bartender eyed her curiously. "First timer?"


"Yes."


The bartender sniffed the air. "Gosh, he's really new."

Bella's eyes narrowed slightly. "What you mean?"

"He still has a little human scent to him. I bet you're less than a week old, aren't
you, fledgeling?"


Edward didn't answer. One of the positive aspects of being a vampire was that he
didn't blush any more, but he still had trouble meeting peoples' eyes.

"You her fledgeling?" the bartender asked Edward, who remained silent.


"Not you need to know," Bella retorted.

The bartender held up his hands. "Sorry! Sorry. Just curious. Do you guys know
what you're looking for?"


Bella nodded. "Edwurr hungry."

The bartender chuckled. "Of course he is. Fledgelings always are. You want a live
donor or bottled?"

- 336 -

"Edwurr?"


Edward glanced over at the divans and the people tangled upon them in the
ecstasy of feeding and mentally cringed. He didn't have a shred of exhibitionism,
that was for sure. "Bottled."


"Plain or spiked?"

"Spiked?" Bella repeated. "What?"


"Yeah, we got everything from Jack to smack. Whatever your poison. But if you
ain't used to drug-laced blood, I'd suggest going with a little Reefer Madness. Has a
smooth, mellow high."

"No drugs kind?" Bella asked.


The bartender grinned. "Sure. But what's the fun in that?"

"No drugs," Bella repeated.


"All right. We got just about every type, though we're out of AB Negative right
now. Shit's had to come by, but that's why it's so expensive."

Edward pointed at a bottle he recognized as one that Nessa had bought for him.
"That one."

"Ah, O Positive. Excellent choice. Cash or credit?"


Edward laid down his Visa card and the bartender wrapped up their bottles in
paper while he waited for the transaction to process. He signed the slip and took
Bella's hand in his own as they walked back through the club. It made him feel a
little more positive about his situation. He could be a vampire without harming
anyone, without having to approach strangers for a nip at their neck. He smiled at
Bella, the first genuine smile he'd given since his kidnapping.



Jacob listened to the phone ring on the other end of the line. Four rings. Five.


She must not be home.


"Hello?" Alice sounded out of breath.


- 337 -

"Hey, sis," Jacob said. "Did I catch you at a bad time?"


"No! I was putting the kids to bed and had to run for the phone. God, Jacob, I've
been hoping you'd call. Where are you? I haven't heard from you since that night we
went to rescue Edward." They had sent Alice and Jasper home when they decided to
stay over the day at the house, telling her only that they'd found Edward and she
didn't need to worry. Which was sort of stupid, Jacob had to admit, because Alice
wasn't the type to let something like this go.

"I'm in South Carolina right now, actually, but I'm going to be gone for a little
while."


Alice was silent for a moment. "You're not going to give me details, are you?"

"I can't," Jacob said. "It's probably safer for you if you don't know anything. But I
needed to talk to you. Just to say ... Well, just to say that I love you, and I hope you
know that."

He heard her catch her breath and when she spoke, her voice was strained.
"You're in danger, aren't you? You're afraid you ... you might now have another
chance?"

Jacob gripped the phone tightly. "There's a possibility," he admitted. "But if
there's something I learned through all of this: You should never wait to tell people
how you feel. Life is way too goddamn short and uncertain to waste a single moment
with the people you love."


"You're right. I've realized that, too, which is why I told Jasper that I forgive him."


"Really?" Jacob wasn't sure that he would.

"He made a mistake, Jacob. God knows I've made my own share of them. We were
broken up at the time and he was lonely. He was going to do the right thing, though,
and help take care of the baby, but then ... Well, however it happened, there isn't a
baby any more. He knows he was wrong to try to hide it from me. I think we've both
learned some things since we've been broken up. Can you give him another chance,
please?"


"Yeah, Allie, I will." God, he hoped for Alice's sake that it worked out this time.

"Please, Jake, be careful."



- 338 -