Torn Tethers • Edward Cullen [2] [S.U]

[1]

"You don't have to go if you don't want to."

"She's my best friend Edward, of course I want to go."

Edward Cullen sent his quilette mate a wary look, the complete opposite of the large smile splayed across her face.

Rising up from her place at the vanity, Colton Black glided over to her vampire mate, cupping his cool cheek in her warm palm. "It's going to be fine Edward, I can handle it."

"You said that when you wanted to sit at our table; and look how that turned out."

Colton couldn't help but roll her eyes as she dosed her long eyelashes in a healthy coat of black mascara. Edward had been obsessively paranoid ever since the incident that happened a few months back with James, and her almost shifting. He had became determined that she was never in contact with more then two of his family members at a time and she still had yet to be at his home when they're was actually other people there besides them.

She understood his concern, she had plenty of her own. After the incident, she had been wary of his family. But then she had decided that if she could except Edward's vampirism, she could except theirs. This led her to force her mate to allow her to sit with his family. In the beginning it was fine. But next thing she knew it, Emmett was playfully punching her in the shoulder and her bones began to shift.

Let's just say. She never sat at that table again.

Colton help but envy the ease of Noah and Bella's relationship. The only thing that they had to worry about was Bella aging. While Edward and Colton had a species conflict.

Lucky bastards.

But tonight, they were going to be normal. As normal as a supernaturally enhanced couple could be, but normal none the less. They were going to go to Colton's best friend's birthday party and everything was going to be alright.

At least she hoped it would be.

"Colton honey, it's so good to see you." Esme greeted as soon as the couple passed the threshold of the Cullen's home.

Colton smiled at the women from her place just beside Edward, "It's good to see you too Esme, it's been too long."

Colton hadn't seen Esme or Carlisle in weeks because during the few times the Edward has brought her over to his house, his entire family had always been out. The only reason she saw any of the other Cullens was because they went to school together. She sometimes saw Noah when she visited Bella, but it always seemed like he was  leaving just as she arrived. She could only guess that that was Edward's doing and could imagine the amount of strict orders he had given his own family when it came to her. She could imagine it because Colton was almost certain that it resembled her own checklist that her mate had all but forced into her longterm memory.

Hugging and being closer then about a foot were both strictly prohibited. And while Colton found it undeniably indearing how much Edward cared for her, his protectiveness sometimes became a bit much. He had all but gone insane when she told him she had gone running with Sam one day. It had taken a good hour of strangely soothing words from Colton to eventually calm him down. She wasn't sure when she had become the calm one, but with Edward always looking out for her in sometimes irrational ways, it seemed like the torch had fallen to her to be the voice of reason in the relationship.

She now knew how to be comforting and diplomatic. And while anger should be even more present in her daily range of emotions due to her now more prominent then ever wolf genes, Colton had undoubtedly become more diplomatic and civil during the course of the past few months. She had had to settle too many fights between Sam and Edward to not be.

Sam was set on the idea that Edward was the reason for all of Colton's pain and that if she simply stopped seeing him, she would able to be a fully functional werewolf. Edward agreed with it being his fault, but detested the idea that Colton should ever want to turn into a 'mutt,' as he so poetically put it.

"Cole, you alright?" Jasper questioned quietly, his southern velvety drawl coaxing it's way into her ears. "Your emotions are everywhere."

Jasper was probably Colton's favourite of the Cullens, besides Edward of course. He understood just as well as she did the feeling of not being in control. And he always had this wonderful gift of always being able to calm her down.

"I'm fine, just feeling a bit off I guess. Nothing major though,"She brushed off with a small smile. Jasper seemed to understand, nodding before floating back over to Alice who was all but bouncing in her spot as they all awaited the arrival of the birthday girl.

Colton's fingers dug further into the nearly wrapped package in her hands. She had gotten Bella a limited edition copy of 'Gone With The Wind' that Edward had helped her track down. Bella had stated plainly that she didn't want any gifts. But Colton was stubborn and got her one anyway, one she knew she would love.

"Colton," Isabella Swan breathed, astounded by the appearance of her stunningly tan friend who she would never have expected to see her here.

Despite the clash of skin and looks, Colton seemed to fit in perfectly among the perfectly beautiful creatures around her. She stood tall beside her even taller mate, dressed in a dark maroon dress that criss-crossed in the front and ended at her wrists. Her feet were bound in black strapped heels and her hair braided to the side in a twist of golden brown. To say she looked like a complete goddess would be an understatement.

"Happy birthday Bells," The quilette girl breezed over to her, scooping up her much smaller friend into her burning arms.

"Thanks, what are you doing here?" Bella seemed completely biwildered and dazed.

Colton let out a musical laugh that reminded Bella of one she had heard from Noah though it was somehow more feminine yet rougher. "You think I would miss your 18th birthday? Not a chance."

The night continued on with Bella being directly in the centre of the attention, with Colton and Noah flanking her, with Edward toddling behind. Everything seemed fine, Colton had her emotions and senses completely under control.

Bella was being handed gifts and Colton was laughing at something her friend had said that had been unintentionally amusing, her golden brown eyes switching just over to her mate for a moment. In that moment, the moment where Colton had turned slightly away from her fully human best friend to face her mate. Was the moment where said human's finger slipped, sending a drop her precious blood tumbling to the floor.

WHAT, AN UPDATE, THE WORLD IS OFFICIALLY ENDING.

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