Sacrificial Lamb Chapter 23
BPOV
The last day of my human life began the same way most of my days had begun in the past two years, with dreams of Edward fading to the reality of his gorgeous face lying next to mine. There could be nothing better than waking up to Edward holding me in his arms, except maybe waking up to his stone cold lips pressed softly to mine. I was lucky enough that I woke up to both.
“Good morning, love.” That velvet voice combined with his cool fingers stroking my cheek sent shivers down my spine. I wanted to melt into his arms but unlike him, I had to worry about things like morning breath, made even worse by the fact that my husband had super enhanced smelling abilities. I tried to push away but his arms tightened around me and pulled me on top of him.
“Hey! I need to have a human moment!” He chuckled as I squirmed against him.
“You know, if you keep wiggling like that the last thing I’m going to do is let you go.” My eyes widened as I recognized that husky tone. I was rubbing up against him and getting him excited. I pushed my rats nest hair out of my face and regarded him with disbelief.
“Really? You want me now? When I look like this?” I gestured to my bed head and no doubt sleep flushed face. “When I have morning breath?” He leaned up and kissed me, ignoring my protests.
“I always want you, Bella. Every minute of every single day.” Who could resist that? Certainly not me. If he could deal with it, so could I. I melted into his embrace. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of how he worships my body; his gentle touch drives me crazy. That electricity that always seemed to flow between the two of us was on a constant hum when we made love, it was the most pleasant of shocks that coursed through my body.
He rolled me over and entered me gently, my body stretching to accommodate him, always fitting him perfectly to me, as if we were created for one another. My heat mixed with his cold to make the most pleasant of sensations. I moaned and pressed my lips passionately to his, all thoughts of morning breath and bed head wiped away. His fingers laced with mine and he pinned my hands over my head. I felt powerless and I loved it. He moved torturously slowly within me, causing me to thrust my hips against his.
“I thought you wanted to take a human moment, love?” Like I had any interest in that right now, he knew I didn’t.
“Not anymore.”
He raised an eyebrow. “No? What would you like to do instead then?” Tease! I pushed against him in aggravation but of course I couldn’t budge him. “Breakfast?” I shook my head. “A rousing game of Monopoly?” I growled and he laughed at my attempt to emulate him. “What then, love? What would you like to do right now?”
“I want you, Edward.” It came out through my gritted teeth. I was getting frustrated. The amusement died out of his face and his smile looked absolutely feral.
“That’s all you had to say, baby.” With that he began to move inside me again, no longer with the slow strokes he’d been using before but with much stronger, faster movements that instantly sent fire coursing through my veins. I gasped as my orgasm rolled through me, tightening my grip on his hands. “More,” he purred as his lips trailed down my neck. He released my hands and moved his over my body, pressing his fingers against my clitoris and setting me off again. I thought I heard him mutter something that sounded like “key” against my neck but I couldn’t be sure and I was too lost to ask about it.
His hand continued to work against me as he moved in and out of me. I lost track of the amount of times I came, wave after wave of pleasure just kept sweeping over me. All I could do was gasp his name and weakly grip his shoulders. Minutes, hours, even days could have passed for all I knew. There was only him and me and incredible love making. Finally, when I didn’t think I could take anymore, Edward shuddered against me and found his own release, both of us coming together. I lay spent and sweaty below him as he smiled sweetly down at me. He pushed my sweaty hair away from my face. “Bella, love, was that too much?”
“No, oh no, it was perfect.” It always was, with him.
He looked relieved. “Good, I think I got carried away. I’m not sure when I’ll get to be with you again.”
I didn’t like to hear him talk like that. “You will be with me again in three days, I guarantee it.”
He shook his head. “Bella, love, you don’t know what it’s like, you’ll be so focused on your hunger…”
“Edward, I know that blood will be my main focus at first, but once I get it, I promise to attack you at first opportunity.”
He chuckled. “You better hope you’re right because I just might hold you to that.”
“Count on it, mister.”
“I will.” He gave me a quick kiss on the nose and rolled off of me. “Now I think you better get your human moments taken care of. You’re wanted at the main house; they’re fixing breakfast for you.”
“Um, who are they?”
“The whole family, believe it or not. Also, Alice wants you to wear the half shirt that is apparently in the third dresser drawer.” Half shirt, why would…oh! Edward grinned at the look on my face. “They all want to see your bellybutton ring.” I didn’t quite get while they were all so fascinated by it but I supposed I could accommodate their weird fetishes, since they were making me breakfast and all. I got the shirt and some jeans and went to shower and make myself somewhat presentable. Within a half hour we headed over to the main house to meet up with the family. Edward wrapped his arm around my waist and played with the little music note dangling down my belly. Maybe all vampires were into shiny things? Would I be?
We walked into the kitchen and I had to laugh at the sight before me. Emmett was at the stove donning a huge chef’s hat and apron while he scowled down at a pan full of burnt eggs. “Why did they burn? They’ve only been cooking for 15 minutes. Surely that’s not enough time for anything to cook.”
Esme sighed. “Emmett, I told you that it doesn’t take long at all to scramble eggs. You know they’re done when they’re no longer runny.” He threw the pan in the trash can and got another one out of the cupboard, which was far too well stocked with supplies considering only one of us ate and I would not be eating for much longer. I watched in amazement as instead of cracking the eggs, he just pulled them apart without any shell falling into the pan below.
“Hey, little sis, you hungry?”
Alice and Jasper burst in through the back door loaded down with cantaloupe and watermelons. “We got the melons!” Alice squealed when she caught sight of me, setting the melon down and wrapping me in her arms. “Good morning, Bella! You look refreshed!” She giggled and I flushed, knowing they all knew what we’d been up to this morning.
“Hey, Alice. That’s a whole lot of fruit you have there, do you really expect me to eat an entire watermelon?”
“No, silly! It came from Esme’s garden, it’s not like I could just bring you a slice.” Esme was already growing watermelons? How long had they owned this house?
“Um, how long…”
Esme smiled, knowing what I was going to ask. “We’ve had this property for thirty years now. We haven’t lived here for about twenty but I hired people to tend it while we were away, plus I stopped in now and then.”
“Oh.” I felt Edward press up behind me and I leaned back against him, raising my arms above my head and wrapping them behind his neck. This move made my black half-shirt ride up and suddenly there was a loud clatter as Emmett dropped the fork he’d been using to scramble the eggs. I glanced over to see him staring at me, his mouth hanging slack.
“It’s true.” His voice came out in a barely there whisper and he walked toward me slowly, almost like he was in a daze.
“Um, what is true?” I looked around for clarification but all I saw was Alice giggling silently, Esme shaking her head and Jasper looking a little glazed himself. “What is going on you guys?”
“So sexy.” I jerked back into Edward as Emmett reached his hand toward me. Surely Emmett, who had Rosalie for crying out loud, could not be calling me sexy? “Can I touch it?” It? Since when did he refer to me as an it? Why was he asking Edward for permission to touch me?
“Ask her.” Edward didn’t sound happy.
“Bella?” Emmett turned pleading eyes toward me; seriously, he looked like a giant puppy dog. “Can I please touch it?”
“For crying out loud! Touch what?” Stupid mysterious vampires.
He looked at me like I was insane. “Your bellybutton ring.” Oh, that? I glanced down and shrugged. It would be a little weird having someone besides Edward touch me but Emmett was my brother now, so why not?
“I guess so.” Edward stiffened a little against me but didn’t say anything as Emmett grinned like he’d just won an Oscar or something. He had just put his pointer finger against the silver metal when a blond blur entered the kitchen and slammed his hand out of the way. Edward, seeing it coming, had jerked me back so I didn’t get knocked over by Rosalie.
“Emmett McCarty, don’t you even think about touching her that way!” She was in a full out rant. “Is she suddenly hotter than I am just because she has that bellybutton ring? Why don’t you run out and find your own human to get together with? You can have bellybutton rings and babies and warmth, all you could ever want!” She picked up Alice’s deserted watermelon and hurled it at Emmett. He dodged it, just barely, and reached out toward her.
“Rosie, baby…”
“Don’t you baby me! Look at all of you, acting like this is a day to celebrate. Making the human her last little meal, admiring her new jewelry that she only got to be different, to be even more special than you all already think she is!”
Rosalie eyed me with more anger and animosity than I’d ever seen from her before. “I thought maybe you’d come to your senses, but here we are, it’s your death day and you’re just fine with that. Do you honestly know what you’re giving up?”
I opened my mouth, not sure if I should even attempt to answer her right now. Edward had shifted so that he was standing half in front of me, in case Rosalie should decide to make her attack physical instead of verbal. “Rose, I will not have you talking to my wife like that.”
She snarled at him. “Oh sure, God forbid one of us tell her how stupid she is for sacrificing her humanity to be with you forever. I’m sure I’m not the only one…”
Esme stepped up and put a hand on her shoulder. “Actually, you are the only one who doesn’t accept Bella’s choice and isn’t happy about her being part of this family. We all understand Bella’s decision and I can tell you that were I in her situation, I’d make the exact same one.” Rose gasped at this information and I admit I was even surprised to hear it. Esme had always wanted to be a mother.
Esme removed her apron and looked at each of us in turn, ending with her eyes on me. She took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “That surprises you all, I can see that. Yes, I still sometimes long to hold a baby in my arms and to know that baby came from me. But the only man I’d ever want to have a baby with is Carlisle and obviously, he can’t father my child. I’ve got my family, not related by blood but related by choice. It satisfies me.” She turned to Rosalie. “I’m sorry that you want more, nobody can blame you for that, but you also can’t blame Bella for the choice she’s making. I’d do the same.”
“As would I.” Alice wrapped her little arms around Jasper’s waist. “Jazz is my world and I don’t want anything else without him. Does that make me a bad person, Rose?” Rosalie’s mouth opened and closed as she struggled to find a way to respond.
“It’s just, she’s giving up so much and she doesn’t realize…”
It was time for me to step in, I hated them talking about me like I wasn’t there. “What makes you think I don’t realize, Rosalie? I said permanent goodbyes to Jacob, Billy and Charlie. Do you think I did that lightly? That it didn’t affect me at all? That I don’t think about them every day and wish that there was some way…”
“But there is some way! You can stay human!”
“I don’t want to stay human, Rosalie. I want to be with Edward. Always. I can’t live without him and he can’t live without me. Sure, I could stay human but I’d get old and die and he’d be left without me. What do you think that would do to him? You know what it would do; you saw it when we were apart. I want forever with him. Maybe that’s selfish of me, but it’s what I want and it’s what makes me happy. I can’t live any other way. I respect your view; now please try to respect mine.”
She just stared at me for a moment and then shook her head. “You’ve made your choice and it’s clear there’s no talking sense to you. Don’t come crying to me when you regret it. I’m not sticking around to watch you throw everything away.” She turned on her heel and left the room, slamming the front door after her.
Emmett looked chagrined and walked back over to me. “I’m sorry, Bella, she just…she just wishes that things were different. It’s not really your choice that she hates; it’s that she didn’t have one.”
I stepped forward and gave him a hug; he looked like he needed one. “I know, Emmett. I understand, really. It must be hard living forever without getting the thing you want most in the world.” He squeezed me back and smiled sadly.
“Yeah, it must be. She just doesn’t understand that Edward is what you want most. I get that because Rosie is my everything. I wish I could be that for her but she just wants more.” Poor Emmett, didn’t she realize that when she showed her dissatisfaction with her life that it made him feel bad? He knew that she’d give him up to live again and to have children. That had to be horrible for him.
“She is incredibly lucky to have you, Emmett. And I know she knows that, even if she doesn’t always think to show it or say it.”
He kissed my forehead. “Thanks for that, Bella. I, for one, am incredibly happy that you’re my little sister. I’m thrilled that we get to keep you forever. I have to go, during…you know, but I’ll be back and be with you during your change.”
I laughed and gave him another hug. “I’m glad to hear it. You can tell me funny stories and plan some more pranks, pranks I can help you with in a year or so, okay?”
A real smile stretched across his face at that. “Heck yeah! Oh, we can totally go to biker bars and little delicate you can arm wrestle big hairy dudes! You’ll destroy them! It’ll be epic!” I laughed with him, happy to see the smile back on his face.
“Count on it.”
“Sorry about your eggs and the melons.” He glanced over at the second set of burned eggs; we’d all forgotten them during Rosalie’s rant.
“That’s okay; I’m really not that hungry anyway.”
He nodded and looked sad again. “Well, I better go talk to Rose. You take care and I’ll see you real soon, okay? Don’t forget, we have a wrestling match in a few days!” I hugged him one more time.
“Sounds good. Go to Rose; make her smile like you do me.” He gave me one more kiss on the forehead.
“Take care of her, Edward.”
Edward nodded. “You know I will. You go take care of Rose.”
“You know I will.” Emmett headed off in the same direction Rose had vanished moments ago.
Alice let out a little sigh. “Well that was interesting. I’m sorry, I saw it coming but I thought maybe it was better to let her get it all out…I think she’ll accept things more quickly this way.”
“That’s okay, Alice, it’s not like it was a surprise.”
Edward wrapped his arms back around me. “Still, she should never have spoken to you that way. I could hear her getting more and more agitated but I didn’t think she’d actually…”
I cut him off. “Edward, it’s fine, I don’t want her censoring herself around me. She’s said her piece; I’ve said mine and we can move on.”
He frowned. “Are you sure though? If she said anything that upset you or changed your mind, we can wait. It doesn’t have to be today.”
I laughed and turned in his arms, cupping that gorgeous face in my hands. “My mind is made up, as it has been from the moment I found out what you were. Nothing anybody says could change that. I want you and I want forever. No more delays.” His golden eyes seemed to warm at my words, taking on an even more buttery hue as he realized I had no hesitation.
Jasper spoke up then. “I think we’ll take that as our cue to leave.” He came over to me and gave me a quick hug. “I can’t be here, during, but I’ll be back as soon as I can and I’ll help as much as I can.” What was he talking about? What was there to help with?
Before I could ask, Alice launched herself into my arms and spun me around gleefully. “Everything’s going to be fine, Bella! I can see it perfectly. You’re going to be so beautiful!”
Edward growled. “She’s already beautiful.” I rolled my eyes.
Alice smacked him on the arm and a resounding thwacking noise filled the kitchen. “I know that, but she’s going to be even more spectacular.” Edward softened a bit at that. Alice turned back to me. “I know what you’re about to go through is painful but just remember we’re all going to be there for you, during and after, okay?”
“I know, Alice. I love you and I’ll see you very soon.”
She gave me another hug. “I’ll have lots of new clothes and things ready for you when you wake up!”
I groaned. “Alice!”
“I know, I know. Don’t go overboard. Too late!” She took Jasper’s hand and danced toward the front door, twirling and skipping as only Alice could.
He turned around before they left. “By the way, Bella thanks for getting that bellybutton ring.” I gave him a questioning look as Alice tittered beside him. “Let’s just say that the thought of it inspired us and leave it at that.” I felt the blush burning across my cheeks as they laughed and took off to hunt.
Esme approached then, handing me some slices of cantaloupe. “It’s not the big breakfast I envisioned but at least it’s something.”
“It’s plenty, Esme, I’m honestly not that hungry anyway.” I’d had more than my share of food last night.
She took my hand and led me over to the kitchen table. “Are you nervous?” Was I? I didn’t feel nervous at all, amazingly enough.
“Surprisingly no. I’m a little anxious but I’m also pretty excited.”
She brushed my hair back from my face, her cool fingers tickling over my scalp. “I’m glad. I won’t tell you that these next few days are going to be easy for you to get through but you’re one of the strongest people I know and you’ll handle it well.” I wasn’t sure what to say to that. Me, strong? “You are. You handle everything that’s thrown at you with grace.” I nearly snorted at that one. Esme was clearly mixing me up with someone else.
I grinned at her. “Nobody has ever used the word grace when talking about me, Esme.”
She just smiled serenely. “That’s because they don’t know you like I do. A mother sees.” She looked a little nervous at her words. “I hope you don’t take that badly, I think of you as my daughter you know. I know you have a mother…”
Tears welled in my eyes as I shook my head. “No, Esme, I consider you to be a mother. It’s no secret that my mother was my best friend but she wasn’t very mother-like. You’re exactly who I would choose to be my mother, who I have chosen to be my mother.”
She gasped and put a hand to her elegant lips. I think she would have been crying if she’d been able to. “Oh Bella!” She buried her head in my hair and held me for several minutes. Edward looked like he was about to burst with happiness, his glorious face was lit from within. “That was the best thing anyone’s ever said to me. Thank you.”
I looked at Esme in surprise. “You have nothing to thank me for. I thank you for accepting me into your family. You’ve welcomed me from day one, when you certainly had to be nervous about my coming into Edward’s life.”
“You made him whole. I could see that from the start and I’m so thankful for it. I’m so happy to have my family all together. This is how it was supposed to be.” She rose from her chair and I was enveloped in her cool embrace once more. “I’ll be nearby, I promise.”
“I know you will be, Mom.” Her eyes filled with emotion again and she kissed my cheek, leaving the room without saying anything else.
Edward sat down next to me and took my hand, entwining our fingers together. “Love, you astound me every day.”
“What do you mean?”
“You couldn’t have said anything better. What you just did for Esme…it meant the world to her.”
“I just said what I meant. I do think of her as a mother. She’s the kindest, most gentle person I’ve ever met. She really was made to be a mother. Maybe she’s not a traditional one but it fits her beautifully.”
“It does. Do you want to eat that cantaloupe or…”
“Can we just…how are we going to do this? Here?”
He looked contemplative. “No, actually, I thought it would be better if we were outside. We don’t want the scent in the house and I really don’t want to do it anywhere that I’m going to be every day. If I bit you in our bed, I’d think of that every time we lay in it together and I don’t want to do that.” That made perfect sense.
“Alright, we’ll let’s go do it.” I felt like I’d said a thousand goodbyes and I was more than ready to start saying hello.
“Carlisle is just pulling up now; he’ll be here in a minute. He’s going to stay here, close enough to come quickly if anything goes wrong.” I just nodded; I didn’t want to think about anything going wrong.
“So, um, how are we going to do it?” I bit my bottom lip, a little nervous finally discussing the logistics.
Edward didn’t really look comfortable with my question for that matter. “I just thought I’d take you out on a blanket and we’d hang out for a little bit and then I would just do it.”
“Are we going to make love before?”
“No, not unless you really want to. I don’t really want to equate our love making with turning you.”
“No, that’s a good point.” Though I thought it would be romantic for him to bite me while he was thrusting into me, I didn’t want us to think of that every time we made love.
Carlisle came in then and smiled at both of us. “Edward, Bella, how are you doing?” His words were simple but loaded with meaning.
“I’m fine, Carlisle.” No nerves came through in my tone, I was proud of myself.
Edward laughed. “I’m more nervous than she is, clearly.”
He grinned at me. “That’s because she has faith in you, just as I do son. You can handle it.”
Edward ran his fingers through his hair, a sure sign of his consternation. “I know. Alice showed me everything would be fine.”
I tugged on his hand. “It will be. You’re over thinking things.”
Carlisle guffawed. “Who, Edward? Surely not!” I laughed, it was funny to hear Carlisle use sarcasm.
Edward fake scowled at both of us. “Make fun of me and we’ll just forget about it. I can go hunting with the others, maybe Carlisle will turn you.” A small smile twitched across his lips.
I nodded calmly. “Maybe he will have to. And then maybe my husband will get to spend all eternity with a very unhappy wife.” His little smile fell away.
“Oh no, it’s my job to keep you happy. You could try to be mad at me but it wouldn’t last for long.”
“Hmm, well time will be irrelevant then, won’t it? So I could stay mad a decade or two and it would only be a drop in the bucket time-wise but I imagine…”
He crushed his lips to mine. “No. I’m not going to let you be unhappy for a second, let alone decades!”
“Good, then enough teasing me.”
He dropped his head to my ear and sucked the lobe into his mouth. “Oh, I’ll be teasing you again, don’t you worry. But you’ll like it, I promise.” I shivered as his erotic words and cool breath washed over me.
“Are you sure about that not making love before thing?”
Carlisle cleared his throat and I jumped. I’d forgotten he was in the room. “Do either of you have any questions?”
Edward looked a bit uncomfortable, glancing at me and then back at Carlisle. “How much blood should I take?”
“No more than three pints. I assume you’re going to go through the jugular?” Edward nodded. It was rather strange to hear them discuss taking my blood like it was a medical procedure. “Okay, you may want to consider also biting her wrists and possibly her femoral artery.” Edward looked upset at that news.
“I don’t want to give her scars all over her body.”
“Edward, nobody will be able to see.”
“I will! You will! She will!”
“Edward, it’s no big deal, I’m used to having scars.”
He frowned at me. “It’s a big deal to me. I hate the thought of marking you.” He traced a finger over the scar on my right hand, a memento of James’ attack on me.
“But they’ll be your marks. Marks showing that I belong to you.” His eyes darkened at that, nostrils flaring a little. I began to wonder again if it wasn’t in our best interest to make love before he bit me.
His black eyes swung to Carlisle. “Jugular and femoral, would that be enough?”
“Yes, those are the two main arteries; they’ll carry the venom quickly.”
“Okay. You’ll come after I’m done?”
“Yes, I’ll help you bring her back here. We’ve got the guest bedroom ready.” Edward’s eyes returned to their natural golden color as he calmed.
“All right.” He looked at me. “Bella, are you ready?”
“Yes.” I made sure to meet his eyes and let him see that I didn’t have any qualms.
“Bella, did you have any questions?”
I turned to Carlisle. “Are you going to administer any drugs or anything? Should I take them now?”
He shook his head. “No, I don’t want to give you anything that may inhibit the path of the venom. Alice said morphine wasn’t going to work. Jasper’s going to help you though.” There it was again.
“How is Jasper going to help?”
“Bella, love, Jasper volunteered to use his gift to help ease your pain. He won’t be able to help the whole time but he’ll endure it for as long as he can.”
“He can’t do that! I don’t want Jasper hurting for me! Edward, how could you ask him to do that?”
He glared. “I didn’t ask him, I didn’t even think of it. He volunteered. He wants to do it, Bella.”
“But why?” How could he put himself through that for me?
“Because you’re his sister now and because he still feels awful for nearly attacking you a year ago.”
“That’s ridiculous. He didn’t hurt me and he couldn’t help his reaction. None of it was his fault.”
Carlisle interjected. “We know that, Bella. He even knows that but it doesn’t stop his guilt. He saw what leaving you did to Edward and to Alice, all of us really, and he feels responsible.”
“But he didn’t do anything! Edward made the choice to leave.” He winced and I caressed his cheek. We weren’t going down that road again. “I don’t blame you anymore than I blame him. I don’t want him to feel obligated to make up for something that wasn’t his doing.”
Carlisle put his hand on my shoulder. “Even if he didn’t feel guilty, Bella, he’d still do this for you. You’re family now and we don’t sit by when one of us is hurting.”
“But I…”
“Tell me something. If the situation was reversed and you had the power to lessen Jasper’s pain, would you?” Dammit, he had me.
“Well of course but…”
“But you’re the only one who gets to be self-sacrificing? He wants to do this Bella.”
“He needs to do it.” Edward interjected. “You know a little about his past, of course, but you don’t know everything. He created a lot of newborns in his time and he left them to their own devices. He didn’t do anything to help ease their suffering and as time wore on that’s bothered him. He sees helping you as a way to get a little redemption, both for nearly attacking you and for all those he hurt in the past.”
I couldn’t argue with that. “Alright, but I’m going to have to make it up to him somehow.”
Edward laughed. “And then he’ll feel like he owes you again. Consider yourselves even, love.” I sighed. We’d see about that.
“Alright, so bite, burning, guest bedroom, Jasper help, I awaken a vampire. That about sums it up, right? Anything more we need to discuss?” Edward looked at Carlisle who shrugged. “Alright then, let’s go.” I stood up and tugged on Edward’s hand.
Carlisle walked over and put both hands on my shoulders. “Bella, I know I’ve said this before but I feel like I should say it again. Welcome to our family.” I choked back some more tears and dropped Edward’s hand so I could wrap my arms around Carlisle. I snuggled into his stone chest.
“Thank you for accepting me and wanting me to be one of you.” I would never forget that he voted with me when I asked the family to vote on turning me. His support meant so much.
“You’ve always been one of us; you’ll just be a more durable one of us now.” He pulled back and gave Edward a brief hug. “You’ll be fine and I’ll be right here if you need me.”
Edward returned the hug and took my hand back in his. He picked up a blanket and led me out the back sliding glass door. “See you soon, Carlisle.” He smiled at me and waved, watching as we descended the hill behind the house. Edward waited until we were out of view of both the main house and our own before he stopped and spread the blanket on the grass.
We were near one of Esme’s gardens, a profusion of flowers in blues, reds, yellows and purples dotted the area around us, reminding me of our meadow. “Did you ask Esme to plant this here?”
Edward looked almost embarrassed as he answered. “Yes.”
“How long ago?”
His golden eyes pinned mine, burning with some emotion that I couldn’t identify. “The day after our first date in the meadow, when I knew that I planned to be with you as long as you’d have me.” I had no coherent response to that so I leapt at him and he caught me as I pressed my lips to his and wrapped my legs around his waist. “Mmm, Bella,” his words were muffled against my lips. I pulled back so I could hear what he’d have to say as he sat and lowered us to the blanket, keeping me in his lap. “What was that for?”
“For wanting to keep me with you, even when you didn’t know it would be forever.”
He stroked my cheek. “It was always going to be forever, just forever would have been different. I would have made sure that I followed you in death. I’m glad you wore me down on that though, you were right, one lifetime is not enough.”
I pressed my lips against his. “Eternity might not even be enough, when it comes to you and me.” He growled and kissed me harder, his hands diving into my hair. I melted against his hard body, getting as close to him as I possibly could. It was never close enough, even when he was inside of me I wanted more. I felt the molten heat coursing through my body, wanting nothing more than for him to take me again.
“Edward, are you sure about this not making love thing?” The laughter rumbled out of his chest, I could feel it everywhere.
“Bella, you tempt me, you don’t even know how much.”
I huffed and pulled back from him, putting a few inches between us. “Well, if you’re not going to take me, let’s get on with the biting!” His jaw dropped open and he gaped at me in surprise. “What? If I have to wait three long days to make love to my husband, then I want to get it over with as soon as possible!”
“Bella, love, it’s not that I don’t want to make love to you. And just because I don’t plan on biting you while we have sex, doesn’t mean I can’t do something for you.”
Something? Something like…”What?”
“You know where your femoral artery is?” Yes it was in the upper leg…oh! “I can see by the look on your face that you do. Would you like that?” His hand dropped from my hair to my inner thigh, gently caressing me as his eyes met mine.
“Um, yes?” It came out sounding like a question, why was that? I had no question, I wanted it.
“So it would be okay, then, if I gave you some pleasure and then bit you there?” I didn’t want it to sound like a question when I answered him again so I just nodded my head. He nudged me off his lap and lowered me to the blanket, crawling over me and placing himself flush against my body. I groaned when I felt his arousal pressed against me and thrust up against him. His lips captured mine again as his hands traveled up in down my arms, leaving goose bumps in his wake. He moved down to my neck, his cold tongue tracing the curve, right where he’d be biting me shortly. It should frighten me, I suppose, but all it did was excite me. I shivered against him.
“How much do you want to know about what I plan?”
“What?”
“Do you want me to tell you what I’m going to do, when I’m going to bite you, or do you want me to just do it with no warning?” His lips were on my stomach now, kissing all around my bellybutton and then grazing over the ring he so enjoyed.
What did I want? Did I want a play by play? No. “Just do it, Edward, no warning.”
His fingers unhooked the button of my jeans and he slid the zipper down. I arched my back as he pulled my jeans and panties down, leaving me clothed in just my half-shirt. “So beautiful,” he breathed. His lips returned to my body, tracing over my hip bone and down to my center, where I was more than ready for him. His tongue traced up my folds, sending me into immediate ecstasy. His tongue worked me over, bringing me waves of pleasure. His hands clenched around mine, holding me tightly as I thrashed against him.
I felt, rather than saw, his head move slightly to the right. His tongue traced gently over my inner thigh. I glanced down at him and jet black eyes looked back at me. I barely had time to breathe before his mouth opened and his teeth bit down.
It actually didn’t hurt, not in that first moment anyway. I watched almost dispassionately as my blood began to stain his lips. His eyes stayed on me as he fed on the blood coming from my thigh. I started to feel a little woozy, my usual reaction to blood when the scent hit me. His tongue swept out and traced over the bite.
I closed my eyes as I started to feel the heat burning through my veins, heat that was very different from the heat I’d been feeling seconds ago when he’d been pleasuring me. His lips met mine and I tasted my own blood. I couldn’t work up the disgust that would normally bring me, not as the fire started to burn brighter in the lower half of my body. “I love you, Bella.” His voice sounded like it was coming through a filter. I wanted to respond but I didn’t think my lips would move.
I vaguely felt something cold against my neck and then felt something like a pinch. Part of me knew he was drinking from my neck now. I wanted to reach up and put my hands in his hair, hold him there to support him but my limbs felt heavy. I knew his hand was still in mine, for I felt cold in my left hand, the only place I felt anything other than heat. The burn was moving through my body and I felt it particularly strongly in my neck. He must have pushed his venom into me. That was good, I think. I dimly heard him, that angel voice that meant everything to me. “Forever, my love.”
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