Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer [44]
He leaned away and looked me in the eye. Were going to get that thing out before it can hurt any part of you. Dont be scared. I wont let it hurt you.
That thing? I gasped.
He looked sharply away from me, toward the front door. Dammit! I forgot Gustavo was due today. Ill get rid of him and be right back. He darted out of the room.
I clutched the counter for support. My knees were wobbly.
Edward had just called my little nudger a thing. He said Carlisle would get it out.
No, I whispered.
Id gotten it wrong before. He didnt care about the baby at all. He wanted to hurt him. The beautiful picture in my head shifted abruptly, changed into something dark. My pretty baby crying, my weak arms not enough to protect him
What could I do? Would I be able to reason with them? What if I couldnt? Did this explain Alices strange silence on the phone? Is that what shed seen? Edward and Carlisle killing that pale, perfect child before he could live?
No, I whispered again, my voice stronger. That could not be. I would not allow it.
I heard Edward speaking Portuguese again. Arguing again. His voice got closer, and I heard him grunt in exasperation. Then I heard another voice, low and timid. A womans voice.
He came into the kitchen ahead of her and went straight to me. He wiped the tears from my cheeks and murmured in my ear through the thin, hard line of his lips.
Shes insisting on leaving the food she brought-she made us dinner. If he had been less tense, less furious, I knew he would have rolled his eyes. Its an excuse-she wants to make sure I havent killed you yet. His voice went ice cold at the end.
Kaure edged nervously around the corner with a covered dish in her hands. I wished I could speak Portuguese, or that my Spanish was less rudimentary, so that I could try to thank this woman who had dared to anger a vampire just to check on me.
Her eyes flickered between the two of us. I saw her measuring the color in my face, the moisture in my eyes. Mumbling something I didnt understand, she put the dish on the counter.
Edward snapped something at her; Id never heard him be so impolite before. She turned to go, and the whirling motion of her long skirt wafted the smell of the food into my face. It was strong-onions and fish. I gagged and whirled for the sink. I felt Edwards hands on my forehead and heard his soothing murmur through the roaring in my ears. His hands disappeared for a second, and I heard the refrigerator slam shut. Mercifully, the smell disappeared with the sound, and Edwards hands were cooling my clammy face again. It was over quickly.
I rinsed my mouth in the tap while he caressed the side of my face.
There was a tentative little nudge in my womb.
Its okay. Were okay, I thought toward the bump.
Edward turned me around, pulling me into his arms. I rested my head on his shoulder. My hands, instinctively, folded over my stomach.
I heard a little gasp and I looked up.
The woman was still there, hesitating in the doorway with her hands half-outstretched as if she had been looking for some way to help. Her eyes were locked on my hands, popping wide with shock. Her mouth hung open.
Then Edward gasped, too, and he suddenly turned to face the woman, pushing me slightly behind his body. His arm wrapped across my torso, like he was holding me back.
Suddenly, Kaure was shouting at him-loudly, furiously, her unintelligible words flying across the room like knives. She raised her tiny fist in the air and took two steps forward, shaking it at him. Despite her ferocity, it was easy to see the terror in her eyes.
Edward stepped toward her, too, and I clutched at his arm, frightened for the woman. But when he interrupted her tirade, his voice took me by surprise, especially considering how sharp hed been with her when she wasnt screeching at him. It was low now; it was pleading. Not only that, but the sound was different, more guttural, the cadence off. I didnt think he was speaking Portuguese anymore.
For a moment, the woman stared at him in wonder, and then her eyes narrowed as she barked out