The Magic Within Teaser

“And Edward, he …” Alice cackled. “he woke up, completely naked. He was laying, spread eagle, on the chaise lounge overlooking the pool. He was snoring loudly and his pale skin was getting completely burnt by the sun. I tried to wake him up, but he was completely drunk and was …”

“When did he wake up?” Kate asked.

“About three hours later. He was completely burnt to a crisp,” Alice said. “He had no memory of falling asleep on the chaise, or even drinking an entire bottle of scotch.”

“Why would he drink so much?” I asked.

“He was just dumped by his girlfriend and wanted to drown his sorrows, but instead he danced, naked as the day he was born, smiting her name,” Alice snorted. “Little did he think about the ramifications. His cock … yeah, it was peeling from his sun burn for over a month. He was terrified that he would never be able to get hard again.”

“Who was this ex-girlfriend and why was he smiting her?” Charlotte asked, her feet crossed on the cocktail table.

“Her name, ironically enough, was Kate. It was his first real relationship and she dumped him just before prom because she wanted to go with the captain of the football team and not the captain of the debate team,” Alice explained, her nose wrinkled delicately. “So, instead of going to prom, he drank a bottle of our father’s very expensive scotch, dancing naked around the pool and smiting Kate.”

“I would never do that,” Kate scoffed. “His Kate was a bitch! Edward’s cute. I’d rather date the debate team captain than the football captain, especially if the debate team captain looked like Edward.”

“Agreed,” Charlotte nodded.

“And Edward could freeze the football captain now,” I added. “Besides, his muscles have muscles. My man is all sorts of sexy. I can’t wait until he comes home. I don’t sleep well when he’s not here.”

“Um, Bella, he’s staying with Emmett,” Rosalie said, her nose wrinkled.

“What?!” I shrieked. “No, he has to come back. I really don’t sleep well when he’s gone. I’m terrified that Jacob will …” I trailed off.

“Bella, you’re protected,” Charlotte soothed me. “Besides, you’re stronger, physically and emotionally, than when you first left Jacob. You can make him explode, or implode, whichever tickles your fancy, Bella.”

“It’s not the same,” I snapped, getting up and stomping away. I know I was acting like a brat. I went into the bedroom that I shared with my mate and allowed our combined scent to soothe me. There was a quiet knock at the door. I glowered at it, but the knocking continued. I got up, flinging open the door and seeing a contrite Carmen standing on my doorstep. “Was this your idea? I know how much you love your fucking traditions.”

“No, Lady Bella,” she said. I narrowed my eyes, stepping back and allowing her into my room. “Can we speak?”

“About? Not telling me about our history?” I snapped. “Shedding more light on traditions that I should already be aware of?”

“I want to apologize and tell you more about the glienne. It’s a hand-fasting ceremony, binding your souls together for eternity,” she whispered. Gracefully, she glided through my room and sat down on the human-sized chairs overlooking the backyard. “First, the apology. I … it was never my intention to keep information from you. I forget that you and Master Edward are not aware of the history of magic. You both seemed to take to your gifts easily.”

“But, we’re still learning,” I said.