The Story Of Sarelle: The Immortal Years »

Chapter 38

23rd June 2048

It had been ten days since my parents anniversary and my talk with Aslo. He had stopped asking me to change my mind. I wanted to think that showing him what had happened to Heidi had convinced him of my capability, but in reality I knew he had just changed his tactics. Our life together had shown me Aslo was just as stubborn as I was, if not as obvious about it.

As I left the bank in Colter Bay, I felt oddly calm. The plan was in place and, although it had taken time, I was certain that I would be able to keep them all safe. I had slowly convinced the Cullens and the Denalis that my gift was powerful enough to save us all. And although that was the reason for the heavy weight upon my shoulders, I was assured that I could at least keep those I cared about safe.

After all that was what was important. I had lived my human life seeking a family. A place I could belong, but inevitably just ensuring I would survive. Now I had transcended that need to feed and house myself and instead I could focus my energy on making sure those around me had the best chance of forever. And knowing I could do that was enough to lift that weight from my shoulders.

I brusquely shoved my bank card in my pocket as I crossed the street to the shaded side of the road. The weather was unpredictable here at this time of year.

As I looked around me, I found a new level for admiration for this little part of the world I had called home. Colter Bay hadn't been somewhere I had looked for or sought out, instead it was somewhere I had ended up by chance. Now, as I thought about it, it was amazing to think I had ended up here. And even more so, if I hadn't, would I have never met the Denalis or the Cullens? The day I had met Tanya I had never meant to stay here. I was merely passing through. The plan was just to exploit the dense forest to sate my blood lust and then move on, but there had been something about her demeanour that had pulled me in.

Before her and the Denalis I had only ever had Aslo, and without him I was struggling to come to terms with the idea of forever alone. She had come into my life at exactly the right time and even now I look back and wonder whether fate had engineered our meeting.

I knew the others didn't put as much faith into the concept of fate as I did, but I also knew there were times in my life when fate was the only explanation for what had happened. Whether it was the way I had met each of the Cullens before their vampiric selves, or the fact there were numerous times when I should have died and didn't. I couldn't deny that fate had played a role and even now I couldn't pretend that me meeting Tanya and her eventually leading me to the Cullens wasn't down to fate.

I just had to hope that whatever it had lined up for me next would keep those I loved safe.

My phone buzzed in my back pocket, I reached to answer it swiftly while I checked the bank statement showing my money sitting in my lawyers account, waiting to be transferred to Dylan.

"Esme?"

"A letter's arrived. It's from the Volturi." Her voice was laced with concern and my heart ached for her. She didn't deserve to be put through any of this.

"I'll be right there," I said swiftly before dodging to an alley and using my gift to take me to the Cullens.

"That's some nifty personal transport you've got there, Saz." Emmett grinned as he greeted me, unfazed by my materialising from thin air.

"It has its benefits." I chuckled as we shared a high five and made our way to the living room.

Our jovial demeanour was snuffed out by the stale air of trepidation filling the room. Each of my family stood as if they were statues, all fixated on the wax sealed letter sitting on the coffee table at the centre of the room.