Twilight: blood & brimstone

Edward Cullen was unraveling.

I could feel it in the way he carried himself—too rigid, too still, like a statue about to crack. In all his decades of restraint, of calculated movements and careful control, he had never faced something like me.

He had spent years perfecting his image, playing the role of the tortured angel. The vampire who denied himself the blood he so desperately craved. The self-sacrificing monster.

Pathetic.

I leaned against a tree outside Bella's house, watching from the shadows. He was here. Again. Perched somewhere in the darkness, listening. Always watching.

'What a miserable existence.'

He thought he was protecting her. Keeping her safe. But from what? Me?

I smirked.

If I wanted to, I could shatter that illusion in an instant. I could step into the house right now, let Bella see what real power looked like. But I had something better planned.

Patience.

I exhaled, letting my presence stretch out, just enough for him to feel it. A cold ripple in the night air. A shift in the atmosphere that sent a warning through his predator instincts.

I heard the slight rustle of leaves as he moved.

Good. I had his attention.

Bella's bedroom light flickered on.

Her silhouette moved behind the curtains, her fingers dragging through her hair as she exhaled, unaware of the two monsters standing outside her home.

Or maybe… not entirely unaware.

She paused. Turned.

Looked right at me.

For a fraction of a second, I saw it. The uncertainty. The flicker of something in her eyes. She couldn't see me—she shouldn't have been able to—but she felt me.

Edward was there before I could enjoy the moment.

He landed soundlessly a few feet away, golden eyes burning with barely restrained hostility. "You're playing a dangerous game."

I chuckled. "Am I?"

His jaw tightened. "She's not yours."

I smiled. "No. Not yet."

His teeth clenched. He hated this. Hated how calm I was. How I wasn't reacting the way he expected. He was used to being the most dangerous thing in the room.

But I wasn't something he could intimidate.

I took a step forward, watching the way he stiffened. "Tell me, Edward," I mused, voice low, almost amused. "When you watch her sleep… do you ever think about how easy it would be to kill her?"

His hands curled into fists.

I grinned. "You do, don't you? Just for a second. The scent of her blood is right there. You could end it all in a heartbeat. You could finally drink."

His breath hitched.

I laughed, shaking my head. "But you won't. Because you're weak."

"I love her," he said through gritted teeth.

I rolled my eyes. "Is that what you tell yourself? That love is what keeps you from sinking your teeth into her throat?" I leaned in slightly, voice dropping to a whisper. "We both know it's fear."

He went still.

"You're afraid that if you let go, if you give in, you'll never be able to stop," I continued, watching the cracks in his carefully built armor spread. "You're not a protector, Edward. You're a predator, pretending you can be something else. But deep down? You know what you really are."

I stepped back, letting my words sink in.

His golden eyes flickered—just for a second—with something dangerous. A temptation he did not want to acknowledge.

I smirked.

"Oh, this is going to be fun."

And then, I vanished into the night, leaving him to drown in his own self-loathing.