No Fear ~ A One-Shot
Bella looked at Laurent strangely for a moment. Her fear fell away, and with it went the Edward delusions. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to be dead. If she admitted it to herself, she’d been thinking from time to time that death might be preferable to her recent zombie-like state. She put Jake out of her mind. It was probably better that she not keep leading him on, and it wasn’t like he was available to comfort her these days anyway. “Alright,” she said simply, and then waited while he walked toward her.
This, understandably, gave Laurent pause. Hunting was one thing. But suddenly this felt like assisted suicide. He stopped, still five feet away. “I just told you I was going to eat you, and your answer is ‘alright?’” he asked incredulously.
“Well, I don’t want you to get in trouble with Victoria, I suppose,” Bella stated diplomatically. Then she made a face. “But you can always just dismember me when you’re finished so she thinks it hurt a lot.” She shrugged self-consciously as Laurent tilted his head sideways a bit, a questioning look on his face.
After an uncomfortable moment of silence, Bella finally asked. “What?”
“I’m starting to understand the fascination. You really are not afraid at all, are you?”
“I guess I ought to be. Honestly, though, talking with you is the best I’ve felt in months. I can’t really - well, I can’t exactly talk to anyone else about all this, you know?” She gestured towards the clearing as though he might understand the significance of it, though of course, he did not.
Laurent took another step forward, and when she didn’t shy away, he walked over to stand very near to her, indeed, but he didn’t reach for her. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of the girl. She didn’t seem depressed, exactly, but he caught the smell of salt on the air, as if she’d been crying recently. She didn’t seem afraid, but her heart rate was a bit high. And she was clearly keeping the secrets of the vampires who had deserted her. All-in-all, the strangest human he’d ever encountered.
Rather than ask her what she meant by ‘all this’, Laurent reverted to the previous topic. “Of course, it doesn’t bother me to anger Victoria. We’ve never been close.” He glanced over to catch Bella’s reaction and noticed a bit of relief cross her face. So the girl did prefer talking to being murdered. That was marginally healthier than he’d given her credit for, so far. He had no way of knowing that the relief was more due to his skirting the Edward issue than for any other reason. “And she’s certainly spent enough time trying to raise my ire in the last few months,” he added, more to himself than to Bella. But she heard him.
“If you really wanted to make her angry, you could turn me into a vampire. THAT would ruin her sport,” Bella said lightly. She had no desire to become a vampire anymore. In fact, the very idea of having to spend eternity without Edward rather than just a lifetime without him was positively frightening. And yet, she felt comfortable making the quip to Laurent. He was going to kill her, after all. Soon it wouldn’t matter.
When he didn’t answer, she looked over at him to find him staring at her again, this time looking thoughtful. “I didn’t mean that,” she said hastily. “It was just a joke.”
“It would be some joke,” he responded, the beginnings of a sly smile on his face.
“No, honestly. I think I’d rather you just eat me and get it over with.”
At this, Laurent laughed outright. He simply could not eat her now. She had provided the perfect revenge - all the times Victoria had attempted to make him look the fool, all the times she had taunted him and rejected him in favor of James. Turning her quarry into a vampire who would, at least for the first year, be substantially more powerful than she? No. He definitely couldn’t throw away this opportunity.
“Don’t be silly,” he said, turning on a bit of charm. “Think of the fun it would be to disappoint her. And when that’s over with, we could see the world together. There are surely places you want to visit, things you want to do….” He was reaching. He had been a vampire so long that he honestly couldn’t remember if humans ever experienced the wanderlust that was so common among his own kind.
“I d-don’t think I’d make a very good vampire,” Bella stuttered quickly, cutting him off.
Again Laurent paused. NOW she was afraid. And suddenly it felt like a hunt again. A grin dashed across his face, but was quickly replaced with a look of determination. She was his now. He scooped her up and ran, expecting screams. And though she did squeak in surprise at first, she was quiet thereafter. He was beginning to think that, once she wasn’t so breakable, she might make a very good companion. At least she was interesting. He tried not to breathe in her scent too strongly, as she really DID smell very good. This would not be an easy conversion. Perhaps she would get her wish, and die before he could tear himself away. Or perhaps Victoria would be entirely thwarted, and Laurent would get HIS wish instead. A few days were all it would take to find out.
This, understandably, gave Laurent pause. Hunting was one thing. But suddenly this felt like assisted suicide. He stopped, still five feet away. “I just told you I was going to eat you, and your answer is ‘alright?’” he asked incredulously.
“Well, I don’t want you to get in trouble with Victoria, I suppose,” Bella stated diplomatically. Then she made a face. “But you can always just dismember me when you’re finished so she thinks it hurt a lot.” She shrugged self-consciously as Laurent tilted his head sideways a bit, a questioning look on his face.
After an uncomfortable moment of silence, Bella finally asked. “What?”
“I’m starting to understand the fascination. You really are not afraid at all, are you?”
“I guess I ought to be. Honestly, though, talking with you is the best I’ve felt in months. I can’t really - well, I can’t exactly talk to anyone else about all this, you know?” She gestured towards the clearing as though he might understand the significance of it, though of course, he did not.
Laurent took another step forward, and when she didn’t shy away, he walked over to stand very near to her, indeed, but he didn’t reach for her. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of the girl. She didn’t seem depressed, exactly, but he caught the smell of salt on the air, as if she’d been crying recently. She didn’t seem afraid, but her heart rate was a bit high. And she was clearly keeping the secrets of the vampires who had deserted her. All-in-all, the strangest human he’d ever encountered.
Rather than ask her what she meant by ‘all this’, Laurent reverted to the previous topic. “Of course, it doesn’t bother me to anger Victoria. We’ve never been close.” He glanced over to catch Bella’s reaction and noticed a bit of relief cross her face. So the girl did prefer talking to being murdered. That was marginally healthier than he’d given her credit for, so far. He had no way of knowing that the relief was more due to his skirting the Edward issue than for any other reason. “And she’s certainly spent enough time trying to raise my ire in the last few months,” he added, more to himself than to Bella. But she heard him.
“If you really wanted to make her angry, you could turn me into a vampire. THAT would ruin her sport,” Bella said lightly. She had no desire to become a vampire anymore. In fact, the very idea of having to spend eternity without Edward rather than just a lifetime without him was positively frightening. And yet, she felt comfortable making the quip to Laurent. He was going to kill her, after all. Soon it wouldn’t matter.
When he didn’t answer, she looked over at him to find him staring at her again, this time looking thoughtful. “I didn’t mean that,” she said hastily. “It was just a joke.”
“It would be some joke,” he responded, the beginnings of a sly smile on his face.
“No, honestly. I think I’d rather you just eat me and get it over with.”
At this, Laurent laughed outright. He simply could not eat her now. She had provided the perfect revenge - all the times Victoria had attempted to make him look the fool, all the times she had taunted him and rejected him in favor of James. Turning her quarry into a vampire who would, at least for the first year, be substantially more powerful than she? No. He definitely couldn’t throw away this opportunity.
“Don’t be silly,” he said, turning on a bit of charm. “Think of the fun it would be to disappoint her. And when that’s over with, we could see the world together. There are surely places you want to visit, things you want to do….” He was reaching. He had been a vampire so long that he honestly couldn’t remember if humans ever experienced the wanderlust that was so common among his own kind.
“I d-don’t think I’d make a very good vampire,” Bella stuttered quickly, cutting him off.
Again Laurent paused. NOW she was afraid. And suddenly it felt like a hunt again. A grin dashed across his face, but was quickly replaced with a look of determination. She was his now. He scooped her up and ran, expecting screams. And though she did squeak in surprise at first, she was quiet thereafter. He was beginning to think that, once she wasn’t so breakable, she might make a very good companion. At least she was interesting. He tried not to breathe in her scent too strongly, as she really DID smell very good. This would not be an easy conversion. Perhaps she would get her wish, and die before he could tear himself away. Or perhaps Victoria would be entirely thwarted, and Laurent would get HIS wish instead. A few days were all it would take to find out.