I knew, in retrospect, that I should have turned around and left as swiftly as I’d entered.  As I landed soundlessly in her small, untidy bedroom in my usual graceful manner my senses were immediately assaulted by the potent scent of her blood, her hair, her skin, but it was somehow more . . . heady, more staggeringly dominant this evening.

Instead of turning around and leaving the way I’d come, however, I swallowed back the venom that had automatically pooled in my mouth and forcefully ignored the painful burning in my throat.

I am in control.  I am not a slave to my thirst.

Confident that I would not harm Bella, I glided across her bed, forcing myself to breathe in the heady aroma on her pillow in preparation for her entrance.  Having nothing better to do as I waited for her to finish showering, I reached for the dog-eared and tattered paperback copy of Wurthering Heights left open on her nightstand.

 I snorted to myself, once again pondering her fascination with this novel as I began reading on the page where she’d left the book open.  I was forever curious about the mystery that was Bella Swan’s mind.  What, exactly, drew her to this book in particular?

Downstairs, a small part of my brain noted, the sounds of a game issued from the TV, and Chief Swan’s loud snores could be heard issuing forth from the couch where he’d fallen asleep. 

 In the bathroom down the hall I heard the shower shut off and the sound of Bella humming to herself as she undoubtedly dressed in one of the new pajama sets she’d bought since my nightly visits had become routine.  She didn’t know that I knew she bought them expressly to replace her ragged sweats for the purpose of my visits.  It was tempting to tease her on this matter, but in the end I had decided it best not to embarrass her.   As entertaining as her kittenish outrage could be, I generally preferred her in a good mood.

As the bathroom door opened and the sounds of her footsteps drifted up the hall toward me, I couldn’t help but smile.  She was still humming, and it was the lullaby that I’d composed specifically for her.