"Let me ask you something," he interrupted quickly. "We've had this discussion before, but 
humor me. How many people in this room have a soul? A shot at heaven, or whatever there 

 

is after this life?" 

"Two," I answered immediately, my voice fierce. 

"All right. Maybe that's true. Now, there's a world full of dissension about this, but the vast 
majority seem to think that there are some rules that have to be followed." 

"Vampire rules aren't enough for you? You want to worry about the human ones too?" 

"It couldn't hurt." He shrugged. "Just in case." 

I glared at him through narrowed eyes. 

"Now, of course, it might be too late for me, even if you are right about my soul." 

"No, it isn't," I argued angrily. 

"'Thou shalt not kill'is commonly accepted by most major belief systems. And I've killed a lot 
of people, Bella." 

"Only the bad ones." 

He shrugged. "Maybe that counts, maybe it doesn't. But you haven't killed anyone -" 

"Thatyou know about," I muttered. 

He smiled, but otherwise ignored the interruption. "And I'm going to do my best to keep you 
out of temptation's way." 

"Okay. But we weren't fighting over committing murder," I reminded him. 

"The same principle applies - the only difference is that this is the one area in which I'm just 
as spotless as you are. Can't I leave one rule unbroken?" 

"One?" 

"You know that I've stolen, I've lied, I've coveted . . . my virtue is all I have left." He grinned 
crookedly. 

"I lie all the time." 

"Yes, but you're such a bad liar that it doesn't really count. Nobody believes you." 

"I really hope you're wrong about that - because otherwise Charlie is about to burst through 
the door with a loaded gun." 

"Charlie is happier when he pretends to swallow your stories. He'd rather lie to himself than 
look too closely." He grinned at me. 

 

"But what did you ever covet?" I asked doubtfully. "You have everything." 

"I coveted you." His smile darkened. "I had no right to want you - but I reached out and took 
you anyway. And now look what's become of you! Trying to seduce a vampire." He shook 
his head in mock horror. 

"You can covet what's already yours," I informed him. "Besides, I thought it wasmy virtue 
you were worried about." 

"It is. If it's too late for me . . . Well, I'll be damned - no pun intended - if I'll let them keep 
you out, too." 

"You can't make me go somewhere you won't be," I vowed. "That's my definition of hell. 
Anyway, I have an easy solution to all this: let's never die, all right?" 

"Sounds simple enough. Why didn't I think of that?" 

He smiled at me until I gave up with an angryhumph. "So that's it. You won't sleep with me 
until we'remarried. " 

"Technically, I can't eversleep with you." 

I rolled my eyes. "Very mature, Edward." 

"But, other than that detail, yes, you've got it right." 

"I think you have an ulterior motive." 

His eyes widened innocently. "Another one?" 

"You know this will speed things up," I accused. 

He tried not to smile. "There is only one thing I want to speed up, and the rest can wait 
forever . . . but for that, it's true, your impatient human hormones are my most powerful ally 
at this point." 

"I can't believe I'm going along with this. When I think of Charlie . . . and RenÃ©e! Can you 
imagine what Angela will think? Or Jessica? Ugh. I can hear the gossip now." 

He raised one eyebrow at me, and I knew why. What did it matter what they said about me 
when I leaving soon and not coming back? Was I really so oversensitive that I couldn't bear a 
few weeks of sidelong glances and leading questions? 

Maybe it wouldn't bug me so much if I didn't know that I would probably be gossiping just 
as condescendingly as the rest of them if it was someone else getting married this summer. 

Gah. Married this summer! I shuddered. 

 

And then, maybe it wouldn't bug me so much if I hadn't been raised to shudder at the 
thought of marriage. 

Edward interrupted my fretting. "It doesn't have to be a big production. I don't need any 
fanfare. You won't have to tell anyone or make any changes. We'll go to Vegas - you can 
wear old jeans and we'll go to the chapel with the drive-through window. I just want it to be 
official - that you belong to me andno one else. " 

"It couldn't be any more official than it already is," I grumbled. But his description didn't 
sound that bad. Only Alice would be disappointed. 

"We'll see about that." He smiled complacently. "I suppose you don't want your ring now?" 

I had to swallow before I could speak. "You suppose correctly." 

He laughed at my expression. "That's fine. I'll get it on your finger soon enough." 

I glared at him. "You talk like you already have one." 

"I do," he said, unashamed. "Ready to force upon you at the first sign of weakness." 

"You're unbelievable." 

"Do you want to see it?" he asked. His liquid topaz eyes were suddenly shining with 
excitement. 

"No!" I almost shouted, a reflex reaction. I regretted it at once. His face fell ever so slightly. 
"Unless you really want to show it to me," I amended. I gritted my teeth together to keep my 
illogical terror from showing. 

"That's all right," he shrugged. "It can wait." 

I sighed. "Show me the damn ring, Edward." 

He shook his head. "No." 

I studied his expression for a long minute. 

"Please?" I asked quietly, experimenting with my newly discovered weapon. I touched his 
face lightly with the tips of my fingers. "Please can I see it?" 

His eyes narrowed. "You are the most dangerous creature I've ever met," he muttered. But he 
got up and moved with unconscious grace to kneel next to the small bedside table. He was 
back on the bed with me in an instant, sitting beside me with one arm around my shoulder. In 
his other hand was a little black box. He balanced it on my left knee. 

"Go ahead and look, then," he said brusquely. 

 

It was harder than it should have been to pick up the inoffensive little box, but I didn't want 
to hurt him again, so I tried to keep my hand from shaking. The surface was smooth with 
black satin. I brushed my fingers over it, hesitating. 

"You didn't spend alot of money, did you? Lie to me, if you did." 

"I didn't spend anything," he assured me. "It's just another hand-me-down. This is the ring my 
father gave to my mother." 

"Oh." Surprise colored my voice. I pinched the lid between my thumb and forefinger, but 
didn't open it. 

"I supposed it's a little outdated." His tone was playfully apologetic. "Old-fashioned, just like 
me. I can get you something more modern. Something from Tiffany's?" 

"I like old-fashioned things," I mumbled as I hesitantly lifted the lid. 

Nestled into the black satin, Elizabeth Masen's ring sparkled in the dim light. The face was a 
long oval, set with slanting rows of glittering round stones. The band was gold - delicate and 
narrow. The gold made a fragile web around the diamonds. I'd never seen anything like it. 

Unthinkingly, I stroked the shimmering gems. 

"It's sopretty, " I murmured to myself, surprised. 

"Do you like it?" 

"It's beautiful." I shrugged, feigning a lack of interest. "What's not to like?" 

He chuckled. "See if it fits." 

My left hand clenched into a fist. 

"Bella," he sighed. "I'm not going to solder it to your finger. Just try it on so I can see if it 
needs to be sized. Then you can take it right off." 

"Fine," I grumbled. 

I reached for the ring, but his long fingers beat me there. He took my left hand in his, and slid 
the ring into place on my third finger. He held my hand out, and we both examined the oval 
sparkling against my skin. It wasn't quite as awful as I'd feared, having it there. 

"A perfect fit," he said indifferently. "That's nice - saves me a trip to the jeweler's." 

I could hear some strong emotion burning under the casual tone of his voice, and I stared up 
at his face. It was there in his eyes, too, visible despite the careful nonchalance of his 
expression. 

 

"You like that, don't you?" I asked suspiciously, fluttering my fingers and thinking that it was 
really too bad that I had not broken myleft hand. 

He shrugged his shoulders. "Sure," he said, still casual. "It looks very nice on you." 

I stared into his eyes, trying to decipher the emotion that smoldered just under the surface. 
He gazed back, and the casual pretense suddenly slipped away. He was glowing - his angel's 
face brilliant with joy and victory. He was so glorious that it knocked me breathless. 

Before I could catch that breath, he was kissing me, his lips exultant. I was lightheaded when 
he moved his mouth to whisper in my ear - but his breathing was just as ragged as mine. 

"Yes, I like it. You haveno idea." 

I laughed, gasping a little. "I believe you." 

"Do you mind if I do something?" he murmured, his arms tightening around me. 

"Anything you want." 

But he let me go and slid away. 

"Anything but that," I complained. 

He ignored me, taking my hand and pulling me off the bed, too. He stood in front of me, 
hands on my shoulders, face serious. 

"Now, I want to do this right. Please,please, keep in mind that you've already agreed to this, 
and don't ruin it for me." 

"Oh, no," I gasped as he slid down onto one knee. 

"Be nice," he muttered. 

I took a deep breath. 

"Isabella Swan?" He looked up at me through his impossibly long lashes, his golden eyes soft 
but, somehow, still scorching. "I promise to love you forever - every single day of forever. 
Will you marry me?" 

There were many things I wanted to say, some of them not nice at all, and others more 
disgustingly gooey and romantic than he probably dreamed I was capable of. Rather than 
embarrass myself with either, I whispered, "Yes." 

"Thank you," he said simply. He