The First Drop Of Rain

Chapter Thirty

A tan woman in her mid twenties with a full and round face and deep brown curly hair answered the door, her smile large enough and bright enough to blind a pilot. Her eyes were the same golden hue as Carlisle, but her general demeanor was more akin to Esme. "Carlisle!" Her voice sung out like a morning dove, bright and clear. "Esme!" She ushered them inside and turned her attention to Edward and I. "Edward, it's so nice of you to have finally brought her around, I'm so glad you decided to come here so we could all meet her." She then moved her gaze to me and softened her smile out of what seemed to be a habit. "You must be Arabella, I'm so pleased to meet you, I'm Carmen! Come in come in!" Her voice had a soft spanish accent that I only just noticed as she spoke my name.

"It's so lovely to meet you," I responded back, giving an encouraging smile. "But please, just Ara."

"Oh why yes of course! Come, meet the rest of my family." She shut the door behind us, and Edward helped me shrug off my heavy coat, encouraging me to set the bag in my hand down. I took Edward's hand once more, moving to hold the crook of his elbow with my other hand, all but adhering to his side out of social anxiety. We walked through the entryway into a living room, the layout being extremely similar to the Cullen's, proving once more that Esme had a hand in the design. Carmen gestured to the other side of the room, where three strikingly beautiful women were locked in conversation. They stopped when they realized we had entered the room, each of their golden gazes turning towards me simultaneously. "Arabella, this is Tanya, Kate, and Irina. Ladies, this is Ara." Carmen announced proudly, gesturing to each of the girls as she spoke. The three girls bore a striking resemblance, each in their varying ages. Tanya seemed to be the eldest of the three, looking to be more in the twenty three to twenty five range, whereas Irina struck me as sixteen or seventeen. Kate was almost decidedly nineteen or twenty, giving off the general air that she fell fairly even between her sisters. Each of them looked as if they had stepped directly out of a painting, they fit so perfectly into the renaissance look that I questioned how any of them were able to blend into society today.

Tanya stepped forward, her shock now over and a smooth smile spread across her face. "It's lovely to meet you Ara, it's very interesting to see who finally cracked the ice cold heart of Edward Cullen." Her gaze flicked to Edward in a teasing manner, Kate and Irina giggled in the back. "You'll have to forgive us, Eleazar is out at the moment and won't be able to come back for a few hours. It was a minor emergency, but nothing to worry about, I promise." Her voice sounded as if it had a faint Russian accent to it, peaking my interest into the history of this coven.

"Oh no, you're fine, it was a long trip anyways." I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly as I tried to ignore the tightness in my chest. I felt such relief that I wouldn't have to meet every individual all at once. It gave me time to repair the pit in my stomach and remind myself that breathing wasn't optional. I felt Edward squeeze my hand slightly, his thumb rubbing mine in a reassuring manner.

"Very well," Tanya smiled then gestured at Kate, "will you show Edward and Ara to their room, I'm sure Ara is very tired." Kate gave a slight smile, stepping forward and gesturing to the stairs at the other end of the room.

"I'll grab those." Kate spoke quickly, her voice also giving way to a slight Russian accent. She took the bag that I was reaching for before I even had a chance to pull back from the motion I had begun, and then flounced up the stairs, Edward encouraging me forward as we began the ascent. I heard the buzz of conversation begin as we reached the hall, there was something they wished to discuss in private, something they deemed I was not to hear. I was curious what the details of the secret conversation were, though I knew no prodding of Edward would reveal those answers.

The room Kate led us to was at the end of a long hall, it had a simple bed placed against the glass wall, and the room itself reminded me faintly of Edward's. The air hung heavy with the scent of lavender incense, a curious detail that made me wary of both the Denali's and Cullen's intentions. Surely Edward was aware of how easily this smell made me drowsy, and based on his movements, he was expecting me to go down soon. I gave him a pointed look, letting my mind fill with the accusations, earning a sympathetic smile in return. "Ara please, you've barely slept the last week." Edward sighed, placing the bag down next to where Kate was setting hers. He gave her a smile and a nod, then she slid out the door, latching it behind her. "I had half a mind to have Jasper come along just so he could make you sleep." His voice was pleading now as he pulled me toward the bed. I had to admit, any sleep I had gotten in the past week had been fitful and broken, but I couldn't shake the fear and nightmares that continued to plague me. "Ara, I mean this from such a loving place in my heart... but if the bags under your eyes get much bigger I'm going to have to have Carlisle sedate you." Edward gave me a stern look in his eyes, but a slight playful smile on his lips. He was fully aware of how silly it sounded to say, but knew that was how he got through to me.