As Rian took in his surroundings, he glanced at his clock, surprised to see it was only 4:00. 'Only an hour passed?' he thought, still getting used to the time difference. Shaking his head, he let it go. No need to think about it now.
He headed downstairs, spotting Bella with an annoyed look on her face. Rian's eyes rolled inwardly. 'Must be Edward's fault again. Why can't he just admit his feelings to himself?' He sighed, not wanting to get involved in their drama.
Rian went to the door and stepped outside, taking a deep breath of the fresh air. That's when he caught a familiar scent that made his frown deepen. "Sam... I'm going to put up a runic formation. I don't like him sniffing around my territory." His draconian blood boiled at the thought, but he controlled himself, not wanting to let his instincts get the better of him.
After ensuring no one was around, Rian lifted his hand and traced a runic sentence in the air. The formation would allow himself, Bella, Charlie, and all the Cullens - including Edward, Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasmina and Alice - to come and go freely. Regular humans would be able to approach the house, but if they had foul intentions, they would find it impossible to enter, as if an unseen barrier would subtly deter them. The runic formation would also prevent any supernatural entity with hostile intentions from approaching within 200 feet of his home.
As he finished the formation, a small, pure white Fenrir wolf cub emerged from behind a nearby bush. Winter, the wolf cub Rian had picked up, wagged its tail and nuzzled Rian's leg. Rian smiled, scratching Winter behind the ears. "You're going to fit in just fine, little one." With Winter by his side, Rian felt a sense of security and companionship wash over him.
Rian finished setting up the runic formation, feeling a sense of satisfaction wash over him. The protective barrier would keep unwanted supernatural entities at bay, and he could finally relax in his own home without worrying about potential threats.
As he turned to head back inside, he noticed Bella still looking annoyed on the couch. He walked over to her, trying to lighten the mood. "Hey, what's wrong? You look like you've lost your last marble."
Bella sighed, rolling her eyes. "It's just Edward being...Edward. I swear, sometimes I think he's more stubborn than you."
Rian chuckled, knowing that Edward's reluctance to admit his feelings was a constant source of frustration for Bella. "Well, maybe he's just trying to protect himself," Rian suggested, trying to offer a different perspective.
Bella raised an eyebrow. "Protect himself? From what? His own feelings?"
Rian shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know, Bella. You'd have to ask him that."
Charlie, Bella's dad, walked into the room, oblivious to Rian's brief absence. "Hey, kids! How's it going? Rian, I thought you were still in your room. Everything okay?"
Rian smiled, trying to play it cool. "Yeah, Dad. Everything's fine. Just needed some fresh air, that's all."
Charlie nodded, accepting Rian's explanation. "Alright, well, dinner will be ready soon. Why don't you both come help me set the table?"
As they headed to the kitchen, Rian couldn't help but feel a sense of relief that Charlie hadn't noticed his absence. He knew that he would have to be more careful in the future, especially if he was going to keep secrets from his adoptive father, well beside what I've already told him.
As they finished dinner and began cleaning up, Rian felt a sense of relief wash over him. It had been a long day, and he was looking forward to some downtime.
Just then, the sound of a car pulling up outside caught his attention. A few moments later, the doorbell rang, and Rian got up to answer it. He opened the door to find Alice standing on the porch, a smile on her face.
"Hey, Rian! I hope I'm not interrupting anything," she said, holding up a sketchbook. "I wanted to talk to you about our art project. We're supposed to be working on a piece together, and I had some ideas I wanted to run by you."
Rian smiled, feeling a sense of gratitude towards Alice. "Hey, come on in. I was just helping with the dishes."
Alice walked in, and Rian led her to the living room. Bella looked up from her book, a curious expression on her face. "Hey, Alice! What brings you over?"
Alice settled into the couch, opening up her sketchbook. "Just working on our art project. I was thinking we could do a piece on the supernatural creatures of the Pacific Northwest. What do you think, Rian?"
Rian sat down beside her, intrigued. "That sounds like a great idea. I have some ideas too."
As they began discussing their project, Rian couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement. Working with Alice was always a pleasure, and he was looking forward to seeing what they could create together. Little did he know, Alice's visit would soon take an unexpected turn.
As they continued discussing their art project, Rian and Alice decided to head to his room to brainstorm more ideas. They sat down on Rian's bed, surrounded by sketches and art supplies.
Alice flipped through her sketchbook, showing Rian some of her ideas. Rian nodded thoughtfully, offering his own suggestions. As they worked, their conversation flowed easily, and Rian felt comfortable with Alice's presence.
But as the evening wore on, Alice's demeanor changed. She closed her sketchbook and turned to Rian, her expression serious.
"Rian, can I talk to you about something?" she asked, her voice low.
Rian's instincts kicked in, and he felt a sense of trepidation. "What's up, Alice?"
Alice hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "I've been having some...visions, lately. About you."
Rian's eyes narrowed, his mind racing with possibilities. "What kind of visions?"
Rian's eyes locked onto Alice's, his expression intense. "What kind of visions?" he repeated, his voice barely above a whisper.
Alice's eyes seemed to cloud over, as if she was reliving the moment. "I've seen you in danger, Rian. I've seen you fighting for your life. I don't know what's coming, but I know it's not good."
Rian's mind was racing with possibilities. He had been feeling a sense of unease lately, like something was watching him from the shadows. Could Alice's visions be connected to that?
"What did you see, exactly?" Rian asked, his voice firm.
Alice hesitated, as if unsure of how to proceed. "I saw darkness, and shadows. You were surrounded, fighting for your life. I didn't see who or what was attacking you, but...I know you're in danger, Rian."
Rian's eyes narrowed, his mind working overtime to process the information. He knew that Alice's visions were rarely wrong, and if she said he was in danger, he believed her. But what kind of danger, and from whom?
Rian nodded thoughtfully, his mind still reeling from Alice's words. "You don't know who it is?" he asked, his voice firm.
Alice shook her head. "No, I don't. But I sense that it's someone from Scathach's past, someone who bears a grudge against her. The emotions are intense, Rian. Anger, resentment, a deep-seated hatred."
Rian's eyes narrowed, his grip on his sketchbook tightening. He felt a need and determination to uncover the identity of this enemy.
"Thanks for telling me, Alice," he said, his voice sincere. "I'll look into it more later."
Alice smiled softly. "Just be careful, okay?"
Rian nodded, feeling a sense of gratitude towards her. "Let's finish up our project for now, and then I'll walk you out."
Alice nodded, and they spent the next hour working on their art piece, the tension and worry momentarily forgotten in the creative process.
As they finished up, Rian walked Alice to the door, feeling a sense of relief wash over him as he said goodbye. "Thanks again for coming over, Alice. I'll talk to you soon."
Alice smiled and hugged him briefly. "Take care of yourself, Rian."
As Rian watched her walk away, he felt a sense of determination wash over him. He would get to the bottom of this mystery, and he would be ready for whatever lay ahead.
After closing the door, Rian decided to do some internet research later to see if he could uncover any clues about the enemy Alice had foreseen. For now, he took a deep breath and headed back to his room, his mind already racing with possibilities.