Twilight: blood & brimstone

Edward Cullen was losing.

He knew it. I knew it.

And soon, she would too.

The cracks were showing, his carefully constructed facade of control slipping more and more each time I stepped closer to Bella. He had spent decades mastering restraint, convincing himself he was different from the rest of his kind.

But deep down, he was just another starving animal pretending to be noble.

And I was going to make him break.

Forks High - Lunch

I strolled into the cafeteria like I belonged there, like I wasn't something far beyond the comprehension of the fragile mortals stuffing their faces with mediocre food.

The moment I entered, I felt him.

Edward.

He was already watching, golden eyes sharp, cold, calculating. But there was something else beneath the surface now—something raw.

Jealousy.

Possessiveness.

Fear.

I smirked and made my way toward Bella. She was sitting at a table alone, twirling a strand of her hair absently as she picked at her food.

"Mind if I sit?"

She looked up, startled, as if she hadn't realized anyone had been near. That little flicker of surprise in her eyes made me grin.

She always felt me before she saw me.

That was new for her.

"Oh," she said, shifting slightly. "Uh… sure?"

I sat down across from her, leaning back casually.

Edward was still watching. I could feel the weight of his stare pressing against my skin like a blade that wasn't quite sharp enough to cut.

Good.

Bella looked at me warily. "So… you don't really talk to a lot of people, do you?"

I chuckled. "Neither do you."

She frowned. "That's not—" She sighed, shaking her head. "Fair point."

I tilted my head slightly, watching her. Studying her.

She shifted under my gaze, something in her instinctively recognizing she was sitting across from something far more dangerous than she had ever encountered.

'And yet, she doesn't run.'

Interesting.

"So," she muttered, fiddling with her fork. "Are you ever going to tell me why you keep looking at me like that?"

I grinned. "Like what?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Like you know something I don't."

I leaned forward slightly, resting my forearms on the table. "Maybe I do."

Her breath caught in her throat. She looked away, lips pressing together in frustration. "You and Edward are both cryptic as hell, you know that?"

I chuckled. "But I'm more fun."

She scoffed, shaking her head. "I don't even know if I like you."

I smirked. "Liking me isn't necessary."

She swallowed hard, and for a second, I saw it—that flicker of uncertainty, that subconscious understanding that whatever I was, whatever I wanted, was beyond her comprehension.

And yet…

She was intrigued.

Hooked.

The sound of a chair scraping against the floor broke the moment.

Edward.

He was there, standing beside Bella with an expression so perfectly composed it would have been convincing if I didn't know better.

His jaw was clenched. His fingers twitched slightly at his sides.

He was fighting the urge to rip me away from her.

Heh.

"You should leave," he said, voice even but cold.

Bella blinked, startled by his sudden appearance. "Edward, what the hell—"

"I'm talking to him," Edward said sharply.

Bella's mouth snapped shut.

Oh, this was getting good.

I exhaled dramatically, leaning back in my chair. "That's a little rude, don't you think?"

Edward's eyes burned into me. "I don't care."

Bella frowned, looking between us. "Seriously, what is going on with you two?"

I smiled. "He doesn't like me."

Edward's hands curled into fists. "I don't trust you."

I tilted my head. "Because you know what I am."

His eyes flashed.

Bella's brows pulled together. "Wait. What do you mean by that?"

Edward ignored her, his gaze locked onto mine. "I don't know what you are. But I know you're dangerous."

Bella stiffened.

Ah.

He had meant to scare me off.

Instead, he had scared her.

Because she had felt it too, hadn't she? The way I moved. The way I seemed to appear when she wasn't expecting it. The way her instincts screamed at her to pay attention.

Edward had just confirmed what she hadn't been willing to admit yet.

I smiled slowly, letting the tension stretch between us.

Then, I stood, pushing my chair back.

I leaned in close enough to Edward that only he could hear me.

"I wonder," I whispered, "how much longer you can keep pretending you're not the real danger here."

His jaw clenched so hard I thought his teeth might crack.

I turned to Bella, letting my expression soften just enough to make her question everything. "See you soon, Isabella."

Then I walked away, leaving Edward standing there, fists clenched, losing.

And Bella?

She watched me go.

She always watched