Running after Rosalie Bruce couldn't help but wonder how their relationship had evolved from not being able to stand being in the same room without trying to kill each other to what they had now. If he had to name it, he would say they were best friends. While there were a few factors that led them to become close, in Bruce's humble opinion, Edward was the biggest reason. When Carlisle and Esme got busy with their daily lives, it often left Edward, Bruce, and Rosalie alone and Rosalie had to choose between joining Edward's brooding sessions or socializing with Bruce. Well, she chose the less depressing option.
Laughing at his own thoughts, Bruce sped up, passing Rosalie with ease. While Bruce had lost the initial strength of a newborn vampire, none of the Cullens could match his physical capabilities. In a matter of seconds, Bruce crossed miles. As he ran, he picked up the signs of many animals, but today, he was looking for better prey.
With a deep breath, Bruce caught the scent of what he was looking for—the scent of another predator. Following the scent, Bruce changed his path and came to a clearing. As he approached, not a single sound emitted from Bruce, his presence became thinner and thinner as if he was blending into the surroundings. Without direct sight, it was difficult to find him, even with vampiric senses. As a predatory race, vampires possessed an innate ability to be extremely stealthy. It had taken some time and guidance from the Cullens, but Bruce eventually mastered it.
Bruce's gaze focused on the middle of the clearing. With clouds covering the moon and darkness enveloping the area, a human would not have seen it, but Bruce could see it as clear as day. A massive black bear was sleeping in the middle of the clearing. In a second, Rosalie appeared next to him.
*Crack* A cracking sound followed as she accidentally stepped on a branch on the ground.
"There goes the stealth," Bruce said with a grin.
"You should have waited for me then," Rosalie replied, rolling her eyes.
Of course, they didn't need stealth, but Bruce found it fun to hunt that way. Before they could continue their banter, a roar sounded across the clearing. Bruce turned his gaze back to the now-awakened bear. It was standing on its hind legs, looking for the source of the interruption to its sleep. Without wasting a second, Bruce ran directly at the bear, coming face to face with it.
The bear, like many animals, possessed great instincts, from that instinct, it knew that the creature in front of it was a predator far superior to itself. But the bear was a predator in its own right, and it wasn't going to back away. Towering over its invader, the bear swiped its paw in a lethal arc. To a human or any other animal, it would have been a fatal strike, but to Bruce, it was the futile struggle of a dying prey.
Bruce easily ducked under the bear's attack and stepped back. The bear bared its teeth, ready to pounce. Yet Bruce was faster. With his hearing focused on the thumping sound coming from the bear's upper trunk, Bruce pierced its chest with deadly precision. Bruce's fingers grasped around the fleshy appendage that was beating with life, and with ease, he ripped it out—neither bones nor flesh could stop him. As he stepped back, the bear let out a few whimpers before dropping to the ground, its life fading. Bruce brought the bear's heart above his mouth, squeezing it. A dark red liquid erupted from it and flowed into Bruce's mouth, savoring his every taste bud.
"Eww."
"What?" Bruce asked, looking at Rosalie after gulping down the blood.
"Was that really necessary?" Rosalie asked, though hunger was evident in her eyes.
"You know I like the thrill of hunting, right? And it's no fun if we just snap its neck," Bruce said, tossing the emptied heart aside.
Rosalie made her way to the bear without replying to Bruce. Bruce watched as she gracefully mounted the back of the dead bear and sank her teeth into its neck. Whether it was the blood affecting him or something else, Bruce found it to be a quite alluring sight. Averting his eyes, Bruce started to count the stars in the night sky with interest. But for once, he knew many would die to be the dead bear at the moment.
Bruce was not a lustful man—at least he liked to think he wasn't. But he couldn't deny that Rosalie was extremely attractive, and his enhanced eyesight didn't help either. Bruce could tell how perfect and beautiful she was without the tiniest error. The only conclusion he could come to was that superhuman beauty and superhuman sight was a deadly combination.
After they finished their meal, they decided to stroll for a while. May be it was their vampiric nature that made them feel more comfortable at night. Another perk of being a vampire was that with a few high-speed movements, they could get rid of any traces of blood, except for the lingering smell and stains on their clothes.
"Why didn't you go with Carlisle? Normally you would," Rosalie asked.
"I just didn't feel like going. And you didn't go either," Bruce replied. While Bruce wasn't overly social, the main reason he went to such events was the lack of entertainment during that time period.
"I don't like it," Rosalie said while gazing at the distant sky. "I don't like the way people look at me. It makes me remember him."
Bruce knew what she was talking about—the same incident that had led her to become a vampire. The truth was, Bruce couldn't truly understand her suffering, perhaps no one ever would. But now that he knew her closely, Bruce felt his own rage rising as he watched her disheartened look. His former employer was lucky he was already among the dead, otherwise, Bruce would have given the man a visit himself.
"Rose, look at me," Bruce said, putting his hand on her shoulder.
"You don't need to feel like that. He's dead, deservingly so. In ten, twenty, or a hundred years, no one will know such a man existed. No legacy, no one will remember him. You need to forget him too. Let him become a speck of dust in time. But even in a hundred or thousand years, we'll still be here, living and experiencing everything world has to offer. You know what they say, the world is your oyster."
Listening to Bruce's words, Rosalie turned her gaze back to him as his hand squeezed her shoulder supportively.
"I was such a fool back then," she whispered, perhaps to herself.
"As for others' looks, do you even need to care about that? After all, you know we can just..." Bruce said, gesturing as if cutting his throat. Watching his antics, Rosalie let out a chuckle as she felt her mood improving a little, but her thoughts wandered about the man in front of her, the man she had dragged into this life.
"Do you hate me for turning you?" she asked with a wavering voice. She knew he should hate her, but deep down, she hoped he wouldn't.
"I've told you before. I don't hate you for turning me into a vampire. In fact, I'm thankful for it. If I'd continued living like that, I'd probably have ended up dead in some alley, or I would've gotten old and died from a disease. But you, you made me something more. Now I can live forever and do things I never could have done before. For that, I'm truly thankful to you," Bruce said honestly.
He had no regrets about being a vampire. Perhaps it was because he was a reincarnator, but before becoming a vampire, he hadn't felt like he was truly living. Being thrown into a strange world, he had just been going through the motions. But not anymore, now he felt alive.
Rosalie smiled as she heard his genuine tone. She felt as if a weight had been lifted from her heart. For two years, it was the first time they had dwelled on these topics deeply. She wished they had done it earlier.
"Aren't you too optimistic for a creature of darkness?" Rosalie asked jokingly as the heavy atmosphere disappeared.
"That depends on perspective. But I think Edward is starting to rub off on you," Bruce said, letting out a laugh.
"Come on, let's go back," he added as he started to run. Rosalie joined him with a comfortable silence following them.
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How is the chapter? Not sure I did good on emotional stuff.
Anyway, you guys misunderstood when I asked should I go all Hellsing. I mean did you guys want Nazi vampires and crazy priests. But I think it would been a bad idea.
By the way who should be the love interest. I heavily favored Rosalie. But I see the potential with Jane too. Obviously aged up version. Who knows she was 12 when turned. Yep, I nearly got a call from FBI. Lucky for me I checked the wiki.
Put your vote for the love interest here:
Rosalie
Jane
I know Alice is the best girl and all but not for this fic alright. But if you choose Rosalie there will be no Emmett because bear fly effect, lol. Thank you for the support. Do give me power stones and reviews if possible. Special thanks for king_of_kings666 for the review.
Peace ✌