JaQuelle Johnson Artists lovers💙🖤

Old wounds and warnings

Pairing - the cullens x vampire reader After your return to forks to visit your family after years, you find Edward dating a human. Ignoring your warnings and your stories of old times, he continues to put not only Bella in danger but the family as well

The first thing Edward Cullen noticed about you when you returned was the silence.

Not the quiet kind everyone in the house shared, the careful, controlled stillness of vampires pretending to be human. No, your silence was heavier. Ancient. The kind that carried centuries of memories behind your eyes.

When you stepped through the front door of the Cullen house, every gaze snapped toward you at once. Carlisle Cullen rose first from the couch, his golden eyes soft with relief and disbelief.

“You came back,” he said quietly, you gave him a small smile, the kind that didn’t quite reach your eyes. “You sounded worried.”

Before Carlisle could respond, a blur of movement crossed the room.

Edward Cullen stopped a few feet in front of you, staring like you might vanish again if he blinked. When you’d left, he’d barely been turned, still learning how to exist with a thirst that burned like fire. Now he stood taller, more confident… but still unmistakably the little brother you’d left behind.

“You’re actually here,” Edward said, you chuckled softly. “Last I checked.”

Then his mind brushed against yours, curious and careful. Edward had always been fascinated by your thoughts, or the lack of them. Centuries of practice made your mind a fortress of quiet marble walls.

“Still blocking me?” he asked. “Still snooping?” you replied dryly.

Across the room, Alice Cullen appeared at your side in a flash, hugging you without hesitation. “I knew you’d come back eventually,” she said brightly.

“Your visions finally working?” you teased. “Sometimes,” she admitted, but the warmth of the reunion shifted the moment the door opened again.

A familiar human heartbeat filled the room.

You turned slowly.

Bella Swan stepped inside beside Edward, her scent flooding the house. Your golden eyes darkened slightly as instinct flared, predator recognizing prey.

But what truly made you still was the way Edward looked at her.

The same way you had once looked at someone else.

Something cold settled in your chest. “…You brought her here,” you said quietly. Edward stiffened. “Y/N—“ you cut him off “You brought a human,” you repeated, voice sharper now.

Bella shifted awkwardly under your gaze, clearly aware she was the center of attention. Carlisle stepped forward slightly, sensing the tension rising like a storm cloud.

“Y/N,” he said gently. “Bella knows about us.” You laughed once, short and humorless. “Oh, I’m sure she does.” Edward stepped closer, protective now. “She’s not in danger.”

Your head tilted slowly. “That,” you said softly, “is exactly what every vampire in love with a human believes.”

The room fell silent.

Edward’s eyes hardened. “You don’t understand.”

For a moment, something ancient flickered across your face.

Then you looked at him again—really looked at him.

“You think you’re the first?” you asked quietly.

Edward frowned. “No, but you don’t understand how I feel about her.” You turned toward the window, staring out at the dark forest beyond the glass.

“I was turned in 1532,” you said calmly. “I’ve watched empires rise and fall. I’ve seen cities built and burnt into nothing.” Your voice dropped slightly. “And I’ve seen what happens when vampires fall in love with humans, believing nothing will happing, no consequences to their actions.”

Edward’s jaw tightened, his mind skimmed your for less than a second, feeling what he could only describe as dread and sadness. “What happened to you?”

For a long moment, you didn’t answer. Memories flooding back into your mind, ones you held dear to you and ones you pushed deep down in an attempt to erase them.

Then you said softly, “I loved someone once.” The words hung heavy in the room. “They knew what I was,” you continued, voice steady despite the memory clawing its way up your spine. “They didn’t care. Said love was worth the danger.”

Bella glanced nervously between you and Edward.

“And was it?” she asked quietly. Your eyes flicked toward her, for the first time, Bella saw the grief buried beneath centuries of calm.

“No,” you said.

Edward stepped forward. “Y/N—”

“They were killed,” you finished simply, silence swallowed the room. “A group of vampires didn’t like that I’d grown attached to prey,” you continued. “They decided to prove a point.”

Edward’s expression shifted from frustration to something darker. “They slaughtered them,” you said quietly. “Right in front of me.”

Alice looked devastated. Carlisle closed his eyes briefly, Bella’s heartbeat sped up, her mouth slightly gapped in shock.

“So forgive me,” you said, voice colder now as you looked at Edward and Bella together, “if I don’t find your little love story romantic.”

Edward clenched his fists. “I would never let that happen.”

You stepped closer to him. “You think you control the world?” you asked softly. “You think the rest of our kind will just… let this exist? I thought the same thing. That I could protect them, keep them safe”

Your gaze flicked to Bella again.

“Humans die,” you said quietly. “Vampires attract monsters. And love—”

You paused.

“—love makes you careless.”

Edward’s eyes burned with determination. “I won’t lose her, I won’t let anyone touch her”

You studied him for a long moment, than you sighed.

“You sound exactly like I did.” For the first time since you arrived, your voice softened. “I’m not trying to hurt you, Edward,” you said quietly. “I’m trying to keep you from living with centuries of regret.”

Bella stepped closer to Edward, her voice small but steady.

“I’m not afraid.” Your eyes met hers and for a moment, you saw the same stubborn devotion your human had once carried.

Something complicated flickered across your face.

“…You should be,” you murmured.

The room stayed silent as thunder rolled faintly outside, Edward stood between you and Bella, unwavering, and for the first time in centuries, you realized something unsettling.

This story… might not end the same way yours did.

But you still weren’t sure if that made it better, or worse.

brandon lee as eric draven

the crow (1994) dir. alex proyas

The Crow 1994