—————CHAPTER TWO—————

Adèle laid in her bed, thoughts going haywire. She was dressed in her petite nightgown, laying on top of the sheets on her bed. It was far too hot to be under them.

The storm raged on outside. She oddly loved it. Tropical storms are deadly, but they made her feel cozy. The hot and humid summer air made it impossible to wear anything other than an airy nightgown.

Just then, she wished she had grabbed a sheet from the linen closet for herself since all she had was a sheet on top of the mattress and a thick blanket.

Of course, their only linen closet was in the guest room. She thought of going into Carlisle's room in nothing but her nightgown and reasoned with the fact that she needed a sheet, but she thought better of it.

What would her father think of that?

Instead, she laid there in bed, thinking about the handsome man across from her. She then realized that maybe it wasn't just the summer air making her hot.

Adèle decided that was enough of thinking for the night and turned to blow out the candle on her nightstand. She laid back in bed, closing her eyes only to see Carlisle's behind her lids.

-

The next morning, the storm wouldn't let up. Multiple homes have been destroyed by trees and other flying objects.

"I hope you don't mind, but I need to be out there," Carlisle said to Jacques at the breakfast table. Again, Carlisle wasn't eating anything.

Surely a doctor would know when to eat, Adèle reasoned.

"Of course," Jacques nodded, eating his bread. "I'm sure the town will erect a statue of you when this is all over."

Carlisle laughed. "One can only hope, sir."

He wiped his mouth with a napkin as if he had eaten anything and stood up to leave. He made his way to his room, eyeing Adèle with a knowing glance.

What she didn't know was that he could hear her heart racing all night.

Adèle noticed that Carlisle's eyes were now dark brown, almost black. She decided not to ponder this.

Once Carlisle was in his room, Adèle faced her father. "Can I go with him, Papa? Please?"

"No." Was all Jacques said.

"Why not?"

Jacques looked at his daughter with a dumbfounded look. He pointed outside where a piece of the window could be seen. The rain poured down in sheets. "There's a storm going on, Adèle."

"I just want to see how he works," Adèle mumbled and looked down at her shoes.

"Adèle, stop mumbling. And straighten your back." Monique instructed her daughter and Adèle immediately obeyed.

"Sorry, Maman."

"The answer is no, Adèle. That is final," Jacques stood up from the table and threw his napkin down. He walked past her and to his studio.

After a moment of standing, Adèle spoke up to her mother. "I'm going to check the stables though, I do need to fulfill my chores."

"Be extremely careful Adèle. You know why your father worries." Monique gave her daughter a soft look. "You're his only daughter. You're his only child. We can't risk anything."

Even though her comment was more objective than sentimental, Adèle still appreciated it. She knew her parents loved her.

"I will, don't worry. We still need to come out of this storm somewhat unscathed."

After that, Adèle changed into her work shoes and exited her room. Carlisle came out of his at the same time and they both looked at each other for a moment before Carlisle motioned her forward, "After you."

Truthfully, Carlisle couldn't spend much time with her until he fed. The doctor runs were true to some extent, but he needed to hunt before anything else.

The pair stepped outside and they immediately were soaking wet in the slanted rain. Carlisle eyed the girl.

"What are you doing?" He shouted over the rain.

"I need to tend to the animals," she said. Carlisle's interest peaked when she mentioned the animals.

No, he thought. I can't feed on their livestock.

"Alright. Be safe," Carlisle told her.

"You too, Doctor." Adèle smiled at him. They both went separate ways.

Adèle made her way to the stables where the horses, sheep, pigs and chickens resided. She did her routine chores. She cleaned and tended to the animals.

The horses were the noisiest. The sound of thunder made them whine and move around anxiously. It wasn't enough for Adèle to grow worried, though.

Just then, a loud thunder clap made one of the horses, Marie, shriek. She kicked up, almost hitting the beam above. Adèle ran over, soothing the poor animal. She rubbed the horse's muzzle soothingly, shushing it.

Not long after, a louder thunder clap sounded, making Marie kick up again, throwing Adèle back onto the hay ground. This time, Marie hit the beam above and it crashed down, trapping the horse underneath.

Other than a bruise forming on her left shoulder, Adèle didn't feel anything else wrong.

"Marie!" Adèle called out for the horse as she tried to lift the beam herself. Marie whined out in pain, kicking underneath the beam.

The rain made Adele's hand slip constantly before she got a good grip on the beam. Her once beautiful face contorted into one of struggle and pain. Adèle cried out, not even her adrenaline was enough to move the beam.

She started to sob. She had known Marie for a very long time. She wasn't ready for her friend to die.

"Come on," Adèle pleaded with herself. In the loudest scream she could muster, Adèle cried out, "Help!"

After a few moments, she felt the beam become lighter. It was thrown to the side and Marie struggled to stand up.

Adèle collapsed to the ground out of exhaustion, her arms struggling to keep her up. A second pair wrapped around her and propped her up against its owner.

"Are you alright?" Adèle turned to face Carlisle, his beautiful face full of worry. Adèle noticed that his eyes were back to a sparkling topaz.

His hands cupped her face as he tried to examine her. His hands started to roam her body to check for any wounds. Once he reached her shoulder, Adèle cried out in pain.

"I need to bring you inside, can you walk?" Carlisle asked the girl. She tried to nod as she stood up. The wind picked up and it almost knocked her off her feet. If Carlisle hadn't been there, it probably would have.

He decided that he shouldn't waste anymore time and picked her up and carried her. His hands were underneath her knees and her shoulder blades. She wrapped her unhurt arm around his neck for extra support.

She was extremely exhausted so she laid her head against his chest. She looked up at him for a moment as he carried her to the house with ease. He looked like a marble statue that the gods had carved. He truly was beautiful.

She looked ahead and saw the front door come into view through the sheets of rain. Before they entered the house, she rested her eyes and laid her head against his chest once more.

-

When Adèle awoke, she first noticed the ceiling. It had a particular red spot above her bed where she had flung paint as a child.

She was in her room in her bed.

Her eyes roamed around to find Carlisle readying a bandage for her by putting some ointment on it. She looked at her shoulder and noticed it wasn't only bruised, but it was bleeding as well. The gash went from the top of her collarbone to the end of her shoulder in a perfect line. It looked like the bleeding had stopped for now.

Carlisle turned around and saw that Adèle was awake, though he already knew that when her heartbeat started to pick up pace. A small smile played on his lips.

He brought the bandage over and set it on the nightstand. He hated what he had to do next.

"What happened?" Adèle asked.

"Do you remember the stables?" Adèle nodded.

"I remember everything up to entering the house again." Carlisle nodded and started to explain what happened. She passed out from the pain of her shoulder shortly after.

"You have a dislocated shoulder," Carlisle said finally. "I need to set it back in place."

Adèle's face pallored. She swallowed the large lump in her throat. "You mean...?"

"Yes. It will hurt." Carlisle didn't want to sugarcoat it. That would just be cruel. "Good news, your shoulder stopped bleeding."

Yes, that was good news. When Carlisle first started working on her, he almost had to run out of the house in an attempt to not taste her blood. He made it through, but not without major struggle.

"Are you ready?"

After a moment, Adèle nodded. It had to happen eventually.

"Okay, I need you to sit up," Carlisle asked her. Adèle mustered all of her strength and sat up enough for Carlisle to grab ahold of her shoulder. She noticed that his body temperature hadn't changed even though the house was a perfect temperature.

The pain cut her thoughts off as Carlisle snapped her shoulder back into place. Adèle let out a sharp cry of pain, a single tear sliding down her flushed cheek. Carlisle hated the sound. He made a vow then and there to make sure she'd never have to make that noise again.

"That wasn't so bad," Adèle wiped the tear away quickly. The pain died down as soon as it was over.

Carlisle chuckled at her comment and grabbed the bandage from the nightstand. He placed it on her wound and secured it with wrap, making sure it wouldn't go anywhere.

Adèle couldn't help but look at him. He was so focused while he did all of this. She decided that he was even more attractive in his doctor mode.

"Thank you," Adèle looked at her shoulder to examine his handiwork. Carlisle's hand lingered on her shoulder before it traveled up to her neck, then to cup her cheek.

"Of course."

Adèle could've sworn they were about to connect lips before a knock at the door ensued. Adèle fell back onto the bed and Carlisle stood up quickly and started to pack his medical bag.

"Yes?" Adèle called out. Her mother emerged from the other side. She let out a breath of relief.

"Adèle," Monique crossed the room and grabbed onto her daughter's hands. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"I am," Adèle nodded. "Thanks to Doctor Cullen."

Adèle Cullen. Adèle shook the thought away.

"Thank you," Monique grasped the Doctor's hands as well, expressing her gratitude.

"Of course," Carlisle nodded. He exited the room to leave the mother and daughter alone.

Monique sighed and turned back to her daughter. After a moment of silence, she spoke. "I spoke to Jean-Pierre."

"Oka—"

"He says he's ready to marry you next week." Adèle's heart fell. She felt sick to her stomach.

"What?"

"We agreed on attaining a certain amount of his assets. He's well known in Marseille." Her mother rambled on about how perfect the match was.

"What about Carlisle? I thought you liked him." Adèle still couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"We still do. But he is not ready to marry you sooner than next week. Besides, he's a nomad. He doesn't have any assets. And we already put down a lot of money to ensure the marriage." By this time, her mother was pacing around the room frantically.

"No, Mother, I will not marry Jean-Pierre. Some of this is my decision too."

"No it is not," her mother snapped. "Someday, when you're older, you will understand why we do what we do. You have a duty to your father and I. You are going to fulfill that duty with Jean-Pierre."

-

THE DAY BEFORE

To say that Carlisle was angry was an understatement. While Adèle was still passed out, Monique informed him that she was going to have someone over.

"In this weather?" Carlisle asked. She told him that this person knew the way.

The person finally showed up while Carlisle was reading up on treating open wounds in the living room. He immediately stood up due to the scent of this person.

It was foul.

Carlisle could smell the toxicity from this person as soon as she stepped through the door.

"Carlisle, this is Jean-Pierre, a family friend," Monique introduced them. Jean-Pierre had odd features. His face was long, as well as his nose but it wasn't ugly big. He had a bit of a scruff whereas Carlisle preferred clean shaven. His hair was short and messy and wet. He looked disheveled.

"Hello Carlisle, I've heard many wonderful things about you," he held his hand out. Carlisle took it and Jean-Pierre crushed his hand. Carlisle's face contorted into one of confusion as to why Jean-Pierre would do that, but the stranger mistook his reaction as discomfort and smirked.

Ah, Carlisle hummed to himself. This man wanted to play a spitting contest.

Carlisle was not into that.

"I must retire to my room, nice meeting you," Carlisle made polite eye contact but nothing more. He shut the door to his studio and set his book down. He sighed as he sat down on the bed and gripped the frame; he listened to the conversation outside.

"Jean-Pierre! Lovely seeing you again."

"Where is Adèle?"

"Sleeping, she had a very eventful day. You can come by and see her tomorrow if you'd like."

"Yes, I'd like to see my future wife before the wedding."

Suddenly, the bed frame snapped under Carlisle's grip. He didn't know what happened, but somehow his anger got the best of him. He listened carefully to see if Monique or Jean-Pierre had heard and it seemed they didn't. They were too engrossed in their conversation to even care.

Carlisle walked out of the room with light steps. He crossed the hallway to Adèle's room where she slept off the day's events. He opened the door and quietly slipped inside.

He stood by the door, watching the girl sleep peacefully. This wasn't alarming, he felt like he needed to protect her from the evil force outside.

Something about Jean-Pierre made Carlisle mad. He was scared for Adèle if she was ever alone with him.

Instead of doing anything, Carlisle sat down in the chair in the corner of her room and watched her sleep. It was soothing to him, watching her breathe. Her chest rose and fell with each gentle breath.

Even though he couldn't sleep, he wanted to with her in his arms.