Even in Death Chapter 16

Chapter 16 – We Fear Nothing

We fear nothing
We fear nothing
Now that we've come so far
Do you still remember our dreams
The need to have it all?
Don't give up
I feel we are almost there

Life long
Road blocks
High walls
Teardrops
Nothing stands in our way

“Nothing Stands in Our Way” by Lacuna Coil

EDWARD

The buzzing in my head grew louder the longer the stress in the house increased. I sat on the edge of the ottoman by the fireplace, my fingers gripping my hair as thoughts assaulted me.

Jasper was no better off than I was with so many of us now taking seats around the living room. Fear and anger and frustration pulsed through him, coming from various sources. Alice’s visions kept changing; some didn’t even finish before it took a different path. The presence of the wolves were not helping her whatsoever.

Emmett’s mind took a volatile position. He was willing to stand up for the sake of his family, his mate, and his honor. To have taken care of a threat and now face possible punishment for it did not sit well with him.

The Denali women shared the same fear. They despised Aro. They hated him for some past altercation concerning an immortal they loved like a mother. I could only catch glimpses of a beautiful woman and a small child with red eyes. Kate and Irina wanted to go home immediately. Tanya wanted to set the Volturi on fire and then go home.

Even in Death Chapter 15

Chapter 15 – Come What May

Through the fire
To the limit, to the wall
For a chance to be with you
I'd gladly risk it all
Through the fire
Through whatever, come what may
For a chance at loving you
I'd take it all the way
Right down to the wire
Even through the fire

I know you're afraid of what you feel
You still need time to heal
And I can help if you'll only let me try
You touch me and something in me knew
What I could have with you
Well I'm not ready to kiss that dream goodbye

When it's this sweet, there's no saying no
I need you so, I'm ready to go

“Through the Fire” by Chaka Khan

EDWARD

“Sorry about that,” I mumbled against Bella’s skin while tracing a bite mark I’d left on her inner thigh with my finger.

“I’m not,” she said through a chuckle, her head falling back to my shoulder as I held her between my legs. She skimmed her hand flat down my arm and showed her wrist, where a small nip in her skin glowed in the moonlight. “Apparently, the only thing that can leave a scar on our skin is a bite from another vampire.”

I pulled her wrist to my lips, pressing a kiss there, and then turned to kiss the mark on her neck from James. I was drunk on my love for her at the moment. We’d been in that cave for almost twenty-four hours. We’d only left once so Bella and I could hunt, but we’d raced right back to stay hidden, to stay in the bubble we’d created since I’d woken up from my change.

Even In Death Chapter 14 & Pics

Chapter 14 – Her Beauty and the Moonlight

Well your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya
She tied you to her kitchen chair
She broke your throne and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah...

Baby, I've been here before
I've seen this room and I've walked this floor (you know)
I used to live alone before I knew ya
And I've seen your flag on the marble arch
And love is not a victory march
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah…

“Hallelujah” by Pentatonix (orig. by Leonard Cohen)

EDWARD

Focusing on Bella’s fingers linked with mine, I let her guide me to wherever she wanted to go. I inhaled deeply, finding that her scent was the most prominent around me, which made me wonder if that was because she was so close or because, despite how all over the place my mind was, she could bring me back to something clear and sharp.

Sounds, smells, sights – they were overwhelming, but I found that I could sift through most of it and ignore the insignificant parts. My train of thought, while mainly on Bella, was everywhere, nowhere, and way out there.

I shook my head, feeling the effects of the blood I’d consumed. Bella and Carlisle had both been right; my thinking was clearer, my emotions not so on-the-surface.

Even In Death Chapter 13 & Pic

Chapter 13 – Springtime of My Life

Hang on to your hopes, my friend
That's an easy thing to say, but if your hopes should pass away
Simply pretend
That you can build them again
Look around, the grass is high
The fields are ripe, it's the springtime of my life

Ahhh, seasons change with the scenery
Weaving time in a tapestry
Won't you stop and remember me

But look around, leaves are brown now
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter

Look around, leaves are brown
There's a patch of snow on the ground...

“Hazy Shade of Winter” by The Bangles (originally by Simon & Garfunkel)

EDWARD

“Yeah, Edward… I’ll see you ’round.”

Bella’s promise repeated over and over in my mind when my body felt like it was giving out on me. I felt weak and physically achy until everything that was hurting paled in comparison to the fiery hell that started in my wrist and hand, traveling quickly up my arm.

The flu, the pain in my ribs, the bump on the back of my head, my back – nothing came close to the molten lava that was now spreading throughout my entire body. Logically, I knew it was Carlisle’s venom, along with Bella’s as she tried to help him. I knew how the change worked. Jasper had explained it. Carlisle had explained it. And my Bella had explained it. I was educated on exactly how the venom pushed through the circulatory system, eradicating everything human in its path, while at the same time healing, strengthening, hardening, and killing.

The illogical part of me wanted to beg for death, beg for an end to all the pain. But I didn’t.