Kayla’s POV

We flew through the forest, following Edward as he tracked Charlie’s scent. Alice and I had both tried to figure out where he was from our vision but the forest all looked the same to us.
“Edward, where are we going?” I asked him as we passed the same 나무, 트리 three times.
“Wherever Charlie is,” he replied, his voice low. “He must be lost. This is completely random.”
Charlie was lost. He did say to his attacker that he was lost. I glanced at Alice who had stopped running to have a vision. I stopped too and watched her warily. After a few 초 she shook her head and we began to run again, catching up with Edward easily.
“I’m totally lost, can 당신 believe that?”
I gasped and my feet stopped dead.
That was Charlie. He was close, very close. Alice grabbed my hand and I ran even faster, following Edward. We were going to make it. Charlie would be okay.
“Do 당신 remember how 당신 got in here?”
Oh no. Charlie’s last sentence was next. Edward knew this and his legs moved faster than I thought possible.
“We can go back the way 당신 came. I’m so silly, me.”
Our feet didn’t seem to touch the ground as we willed ourselves to go faster. Just as I thought we weren’t going to make it, that Charlie was going to die, I saw someone. Their back was to me, their head tilted to the side. That was Charlie’s killer.
My heartbeat accelerated, my breath shortened, at the thought that my dad was going to die and I was powerless to stop it. I skidded to a halt just as the killer lunged for Charlie. I screamed in terror. At the same time Edward lunged and knocked the killer off course.
In front of me now stood my father, completely unhurt but looking a little shocked and confused. Too 겨울왕국 to move, Alice ran to him and brought him back to me. Before he could ask 질문 I threw my arms around him, squeezing him tightly.
“Stupid, stupid man!” I hissed into his shoulder. “You should know not to go out into the forest in the dark alone!”
“I was looking for you.” he patted me on the back. “Did 당신 know you’re car is lying wrecked in the middle of the road?”
Alice cleared her throat unnecessarily. I let Charlie go and he looked at her, shock on his face. I understood. It wasn’t normal to hear a Cullen had crashed a car.
She quickly explained what had happened, her voice sounding apologetic and sad. I knew it was an act put on for Charlie’s sake so he didn’t scold her too much. She should know that Charlie loved her really.
I looked past Charlie to see Edward wrestling with Charlie’s would-be killer. I wanted to help Edward. I wanted to protect him. I tried to squash that feeling as I looked at the vampire he was fighting. He looked awfully familiar. It was hard to see who he was while he was fighting. If only he would stand still…
“You’re not pregnant?!”
I looked back at Charlie to see him staring incredulously at my flat stomach.
“Yes, I had the baby an 시간 ago,” I said, dismissively, my gaze wandering back to the fight. I wanted to make sure Edward was okay and I wanted to see who vampire was.
“Kayla?” Charlie forced me to look at him. “Is she alive? Is she okay?”
“She’s fine,” I said, watching relief flood into his 초콜릿 brown eyes. “A little premature but nothing a few days in an incubator won’t heal.”
He nodded and I continued to watch Edward and the vampire wrestle. Who was he? I was sure I knew him.
“Isn’t that…?” Alice looked at me, her gold eyes disbelieving.
“It can’t be…” I looked again at the vampire as I suddenly realised.
“I’m afraid it is,” Charlie sighed, glancing behind him.
Edward now had the vampire pinned to the ground and I could see clearly who it was. I walked over to the young vampire, wondering how the hell it had happened. He’d always been so careful, never wanting to hurt anyone. What had happened?
“Gabriel,” I spoke softly, looking into his eyes. They were a strange colour of black and gold. But in the depths of his eyes was a thirst and burning so frightening, I stepped back a little.
“You know him?” Edward looked up at me, confused.
“My cousin,” I replied, sadly. “What are we going to do?”
Gabriel didn’t look sane enough to be released from Edward’s hold. With his thirst still reigning, either Charlie 또는 I would be attacked.
“We can’t let him go,” Edward agreed. “It’s too dangerous.”
“He needs blood to satisfy the thirst.” I looked back at Alice and she nodded, understanding. I watched as she ran away in 검색 of a blood supply for Gabriel.
Charlie wandered over and I shooed him away.
“What?” he said, questioningly.
“You’re the reason he’s like this,” I said, standing in front of Charlie as if that would stop his scent getting to Gabriel. “You need to stay away so he doesn’t flip. It’s 당신 he’s after.”
Charlie rolled his eyes but kept his distance. I stood 다음 to Charlie, knowing I was just as tempting.
Gabriel was struggling against Edward. His nostrils flared and his eyes were wild but Edward kept him down. Gabriel glared at Edward and his head shot forward. I gasped as his teeth clamped around the 상단, 맨 위로 of Edward’s arm, just above his elbow.
“Edward!” I ran towards him just as Gabriel tore his arm off. Edward didn’t cry out in pain at all. Instead he snarled, baring his teeth. Gabriel smiled wickedly behind Edward’s arm.
I looked from the snarling Edward to the grinning Gabriel. I snatched Edward’s arm from Gabriel’s mouth. In less than two seconds, Edward had his arm and I was straddling Gabriel, pinning him to the ground. Surely he wouldn’t try to rip my arm off. Gabriel didn’t glare at me as I pinned him to the ground, he just smiled.
“What?” I said, a little unnerved 의해 his smile.
He didn’t reply, just kept on smiling.
I glanced away from him to Edward, who was reattaching his arm using his venom. Gabriel ripped his shirt. I’d have to buy Edward a new one. That was such a nice 셔츠 as well.
“Get off my brother!”
Lexi? What the hell was she doing here? Turning to look behind me, I saw Lexi striding 앞으로 looking murderous. Just when I thought I could actually like her…
“Get off him!”
Charlie tried to stop her but she shook him off and continued towards me. Suddenly, I pitched 앞으로 as Gabriel’s arms disappeared from beneath my hands. My head directly above his, I saw his wicked smile once 더 많이 before his hands were on my arms and I was flying through the air. I didn’t hit anything as a pair of cold arms caught me.
Edward gently placed me on the ground, checking me over for any damage.
“I’m fine,” I told him, noticing his arm was as good as it had been before it was ripped off.
Charlie was running towards me now, worry on his face.
“I’m fine,” I called to him but he continued running.
“Lexi is not happy,” he said, shaking his head. “I mean, really not happy. She’s fuming about 당신 attacking Gabriel.”
“Me attacking him?” I felt my temper rise. “Did 당신 tell her he tried to kill 당신 and ripped Edward’s arm off?”
“She wouldn’t listen,” Charlie shrugged in a manner that said ‘well, I did the best I could, it’s up to 당신 now’.
I sighed.
“Come on, Edward, let’s go sort this out.”
I was now talking to a tree.
“Edward?”
He was gone. He wasn’t beside me. He was there two 초 ago. Damn vampire, was he trying to attack Gabriel?
I walked back the way I was thrown and found Lexi between Edward and Gabriel. They were both trying to get at each other, both desperate to tear each other apart but Lexi was stopping them.
“I swear if 당신 lay one finger on him,” Lexi was threatening Edward. “I will burn your sorry ass.”
“I don’t know if 당신 saw,” Edward’s velvet voice was laced with rage. “But he just threw your cousin into a tree. What if she was still carrying our baby?”
“What?” Lexi momentarily forgot the stand-off she was in and turning around, saw me approaching her. Her eyes found my flat stomach and confusion replaced the anger in her eyes.
“I had the baby an 시간 또는 so ago,” I said. “I was in a car crash, the umbilical cord detached as the baby tried to save me and she almost died. Luckily, I had a c-section in time.”
I stood in front of Edward, squaring up to my older cousin.
“But,” I said, my temper rising again. “I wasn’t supposed to be in a crash. It was due to unforeseen circumstances. So, when your precious brother decided to throw me like I was nothing but a rag doll he could have killed my daughter were I still pregnant.”
“But you’re not,” Lexi argued. “So stop moaning. He’s done nothing wrong.”
I stepped 앞으로 and Lexi stepped back.
“He tried to kill my father, your uncle. If it wasn’t for Edward, Charlie would be dead now.”
Lexi scoffed.
“Don’t be so dramatic, Kayla. Gabriel wouldn’t have done anything.”
I raised my eyebrows.
“Haven’t 당신 noticed, Lexi? Your brother is a blood-sucking leech.”
Lexi narrowed her eyes. They flashed with anger and her hand twitched at her side. She was itching to 헤로인 me.
“Says 당신 who has a leech for a husband,” she retorted.
“At least my leech knows how to control himself. I don’t see Edward stalking my father in the forest to kill him for a snack. Your brother on the other hand…”
Her hand rose and I grabbed her wrist. I twisted her arm and she winced in pain.
“Do not try that again,” I warned her, letting her arm go. “You may be older and have had your abilities longer than I’ve had mine but that doesn’t mean 당신 can hurt me.”
Humiliation on her face, Lexi grabbed onto Gabriel’s hand. He pulled his hand away from her, his nostrils flaring.
“Gabriel!” Lexi tried to grab her brother’s hand again but he dodged out of the way.
“Blood,” Edward whispered in my ear. He took a hold of my hand and led me away from Lexi and Gabriel. “Alice had found a snack for him.”
Alice arrived moment later carrying a bleeding doe in her arms. Gabriel launched himself on her knocking her over in his haste to get to the blood. Alice laughed and picked herself up. She joined us as a 초 later, dusting herself off.
We watched Gabriel as he messily drank the doe dry. It wasn’t pretty.
“He needs to drink 더 많이 often,” Alice said, watching as Gabriel licked blood from his fingers.
“Yup,” I nodded in agreement.
Lexi stood in between us and Gabriel, unsure what to do. She didn’t want to stand with us as I’d just humiliated her and she didn’t want to stand with Gabriel who was trying to get every last drop of blood.
It wasn’t long before Gabriel finally straightened himself out and turned to us. His eyes were now a 버터 볼, 버터 스카치, 버터 gold, meaning he was well fed and no longer crazy with thirst. When he saw us watching him, he looked rather sheepish and I knew if he was human he would have blushed.
“Better?” I asked, smiling to show him I wasn’t that angry with him.
“Yeah,” he said, running a hand through his hair. His hand were clean from his thorough licking of his fingers. “I’m sorry, really sorry. I just 로스트 it.”
“I know,” I said, glancing at Charlie. “We know.”
Charlie nodded.
“I accept your apology,” he said, smiling in a fatherly way.
“But I need to ask 당신 to leave,” I said, looking at the ground. I didn’t want to see his face.
“I know,” Gabriel replied. There wasn’t a trace of hurt in his voice but that didn’t mean he didn’t feel it.
“What?!” Lexi was obviously outraged. “We’re not leaving.”
“Lex,” Gabriel said. “We have to respect her decision.”
“I’m not leaving,” she said. I looked up to see her stamp her foot and fold her arms across her chest. “I refuse.”
I opened my mouth to argue but Charlie cut across me.
“Kayla is thinking of her baby daughter, Alexandra,” he said, firmly.
“I think it’s best we leave,” Gabriel said, taking Lexi’s hand. “Until I get a better reign on my thirst. Kayla needs to know I won’t lose it again. Her baby is part human. I might eat her.”
Lexi didn’t want to leave. She wanted to stand her ground, argue til she was blue in the face and get her way. A typical 백조 really. But, she did as Gabriel said because he was right.
“Thank you,” I said, smiling at Gabriel. “I appreciate it.”
“No problem.” he returned my smile. He tugged on Lexi’s hand and they both sped off.
The four of us watched them until they were gone.
“Well, that was fun,” I said, laughing slightly.
“Of course,” Edward replied sarcastically, pulling me into a hug. “Getting my arm ripped off was always something I wanted to do. I may need to send Gabriel a thank 당신 card.”
Alice laughed and then forced her way between us.
“None of this,” she said, pushing us away from each other. “Or your daughter may have baby brother 또는 sister.”
Edward laughed and I just shook my head at her. Honestly, Edward and I weren’t going to jump into the 침대 the 초 we touched each other.
“Speaking of my daughter,” Edward said. “I would like to meet her.”
“So would I,” Charlie said, already setting off. “Fancy a race, Edward?”
I looked at Charlie. He wanted to race Edward?
“I’ll give 당신 a five 초 lead,” Edward said, a wicked grin on his face.
Charlie laughed and set off. Five 초 Edward was a blur.
Alice and I shook our heads at the pair of them.
“Boys,” she tutted, dancing out in front of me.
“Alice,” I said, walking behind her. “Can I ask 당신 something?”
“Of course,” she said, still dancing in front of me. She was so full of happiness right now. After all that had just happened she was happy. I don’t know where she got it from.
“In the future, Edward and I., are we happy?”
I waited nervously. It had been a 질문 that had been playing on my mind recently. The way things had been going the past few years, all the trouble we’d had, I’d wondered if it would eventually break us up. 또는 if not that, the trouble would continue and we’d just be unhappy with life.
Alice grinned from ear to ear.
“You and Edward are very happy in the future,” she said.
“Good,” I said, instantly relieved.
“As is Scarlett,” she said, before running off.
“Damn you, Alice!” I shouted after her. “I told 당신 not to look into the future to find out her name!”
I smiled, though, not really mad at her, and then ran after her.
I was happy.
















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Okay, my lovely readers, I am very sorry I've 게시됨 this so long after the last one. I deserve to be hung, strung and quartered. Whatever that means. Anyway I would just like to thank 당신 all for continuing to read my story, for all the amazing 코멘트 당신 give me and for just being you!
사랑 for 당신 all <3 <3 <3 <3