And then Edward stepped out from the trees, his skin faintly glowing, his eyes black and dangerous. He held up one hand and beckoned me to come to him…

I took a step forward, toward Edward. He smiled then, and his teeth were sharp, pointed.

“Trust me,” he purred.

~ Twilight, page 131

My mind cleared of any coherent thought. I knew instinctively that I should not be coming closer to Edward but running as fast as I could in the opposite direction. But somehow I could not bring myself to run from the terrifyingly beautiful boy. His dark gaze trapped me and pulled me toward him, mesmerized.

When I reached him, he grasped my hand and the scenery around us changed. The green forest dissolved and became a room filled with black candelabras with small, flickering flames. The walls were draped with red velvet curtains and in the middle of the glowing candles was an elegant loveseat, padded with material the color of blood.

Edward smiled at me in the strange way he always did; one corner of his mouth pulled up, crooked. As I gazed at him, I realized the setting was not the only thing that had changed – Edward’s clothing had as well. He wore a very old-fashioned black suit, looking like a gentleman straight out of the 1800s. My eyes widened in surprise and I flushed, embarrassed; just imagining how out of place I must look in my flannel shirt and worn jeans. But when I looked down to survey my appearance, I gasped.

In place of my modern clothes, I was now wearing a deep green satin gown, the neckline edged with lace. On the hand Edward still held was a silver bracelet with a sparkling crystal heart dangling from a link. I looked back up at Edward, smiling widely and feeling as though I’d just stepped into a scene from one of my favorite nineteenth-century novels.

He drew me closer to him, his other hand reaching under my hair to gently grasp the back of my neck. My heart pounded wildly as his face inched closer to mine. I could smell the intoxicating sweetness of his breath; it made my head spin. When our lips met, my eyes fluttered closed and I lost all control of my body. Edward scooped me up into his arms, saving me from sinking to the floor. I moved my hands up over his shoulders, encircling them behind his neck. Without breaking the kiss, he walked me to the loveseat and laid me down among the lush pillows.

He pulled away from me slowly, a hungry look in his dark eyes. I sighed happily and one hand fell away from his shoulder, coming to rest just above my head on the pillow. His hands trailed down my sides, one arm sliding under me to encircle my waist. He flashed me one last grin before his head ducked down to my neck.

I turned my head to the side to give him better access. His cool lips – why did it take me until now to realize just how cool his skin was? – brushed against the skin, kissing tenderly at my pulse point. My heart thudded. Something was coming back to me…something that I had pushed away to the recesses of my mind. Something I had seen back in the woods, just before Edward had drawn me to him…

And then I felt it – something…two things…two sharp things pricking my neck…

~*~*~

I jolted awake in bed, gasping, disoriented. My eyes wandered the dark room, searching for the glow of candlelight…the velvet-draped walls…the beautiful black eyes with a gaze searing into my soul. I raised a hand to my neck, running my fingers over the unmarked skin, realizing slowly that it had all just been a dream. But…

I sighed shakily. I knew. I knew the truth now without a shred of doubt.

Edward Cullen was a vampire.