Fire and Gold

•04•

Asher's POV

On our travel to the Denali's, I didn't dare to speak to my brother. His actions had pissed me off. I didn't know what had happened that led to him leaving Bella alone in the forest, but I knew what he did wasn't right. And to further my anger, he wasn't even going to tell us. He was just going to leave her there and leave on his merry way. If I hadn't known better, I wouldn't have believed he loved Bella after all. But I didn't know the full story, and so I knew I couldn't dislike him completely. His actions angered me, but they may have been warranted.

At the moment, I was currently sitting outside. Rosalie was gone. She had gone on a shopping trip with the females of the Denali coven as well as Alice and Esme. I was left behind with my brothers, father, and Eleazar. Everyone had been inside, Emmett was playing video games, Jasper and Eleazar were in the middle of a game of chess, and Carlisle had been working. Edward was in his room, brooding. I couldn't stand to be inside. Edward was doing his usual brooding, and pouting about leaving Bella. I wanted to slap him and tell him to just go back to her. He was just making it worse on himself. I couldn't look at him. He just made me so upset.

"What's your problem?"

I lifted an eyebrow. I didn't bother to turn my head. I knew exactly who it was that had spoken without having to even glance in their direction. I knew he was coming. I smelled him and heard the sound of his shoes crunching under the branches on the ground. Perks of being a vampire.

"Oh, what ever do you mean, brother?"

"You've been avoiding me. And blocking your thoughts," Edward had said and I opened my eyes, glancing over at my brother.

"How did you say goodbye to Bella?" I asked, lifting an eyebrow. I noticed how my question had caught my brother off guard. His usually stiff posture, stiffened even more. He looked at me silently.

"I told her goodbye and I brought her home," Edward said and I lifted an eyebrow silently. I knew my "twin" better than anyone and I knew he was lying. I could tell Edward knew that I knew he was lying as well because he sighed, "I'm leaving. I'm going to London. I can't stand to be in the states. Leaving Bella the way I did, it's tearing my heart apart. I can't go to her. She's safer this way."

I sighed as I shook my head silently, "You're making a mistake, Edward," I rose to my feet and looked at him, "Bella is your mate. You belong together. She's the other half of your soul."

"We don't have souls," Edward said, and he turned his back to me, "You know that as well as I do. We are damned. Monsters."

I didn't respond. I knew I couldn't. I would be a hypocrite if I did. I did believe I was a monster. I knew I was damned. But for Edward to use that as an excuse to not return to Bella, it pissed me off.

"Rosalie believed the same. And yet, here I am."

"Exactly, here you are," Edward said as he turned to look at him, "An immortal monster, damned for eternity. All because Rosalie pursued you. All because she brought you into our world."

I clenched my jaw. But before I could respond, Edward continued, "I refuse to do the same to Bella. She deserves to live."

"What if that is not what she wants? She is your mate, Edward," I repeated, "She is supposed to spend her forever by your side. She wanted to be a vampire and you didn't change her! Now you've left her to suffer on her own! Because you want to be selfish!"

"No!" Edward growled as he raced towards me, standing directly in front of me, "I want her to be safe! To live a life of innocence! As long as she is human, then she has her soul. She's alive. She's breathing. With us in her life, with me in her life she is damned and I refuse to let her suffer that way!"