EPOV
Edward! She said my name! She remembered who I was! The rational part of me hadn’t doubted that she would but I clearly wasn’t at my best while she was changing. I thanked God I’d never have to go through that again. Bella was very likely the last of the Cullens. At the very least she was the only one who would matter to me this much; if I ever observed a change again it would be much less stressful. “I’m here, my love.”
She left her right hand entwined in mine and reached out to touch me with her left, her fingers tracing the line of my jaw and igniting a fire inside me at her touch. “Edward,” she whispered again. She leaned toward me slowly and pressed her lips to mine. In that moment, everything vanished. I forgot our family was standing at the foot of the bed, I forgot the terror I’d lived in for the last three days; my entire focus was on the feelings Bella lit within me. I could feel everything pouring out of her in her kiss, she could have been shouting her feelings from a roof top and it wouldn’t have been clearer. She loves me. Still. Always. My biggest fear, after killing her of course, had been that she wouldn’t remember me and she wouldn’t love me anymore. I would have fought for her love and found it again; I had no doubt of that, but the relief that I didn’t have to thrilled me.
Her little hands found purchase in my hair and tugged me closer to her, using slightly more force than was necessary but not enough to bother me. It was strange, her new found strength made her capable of actually pulling me to her whereas before I had to willingly go. Not that I often refused her, it was just a different sensation now knowing she could exert her will on me. It was extremely arousing. Before we could get much more carried away a hand clamped down on my shoulder and yanked me away from my Bella.
“Sorry, bro, but as happy as we all are that Bella is one of us now, it doesn’t mean we all want to celebrate with you that way.” I glanced around the room and realized that everyone was still standing where they’d been when Bella opened her eyes. I looked back at her and she looked embarrassed although she was missing that telltale blush that would normally be darkening her cheeks.
“Oops.” I used the word she’d used the first time we kissed and she got carried away. She smiled and then dissolved into a fit of giggles. She remembered. She remembered everything. I’d see to it that she always would.
“Welcome back, Bella!” Alice swooped down upon her, pulling her from the bed and wrapping her arms around her exuberantly. “We’ve been waiting for you to wake up forever! How are you feeling?”
Bella’s eyes shifted wildly around the room, trying to take in everything at once. “I’m alright, I think. A bit overwhelmed at the moment but I feel great.” Her voice rang like a bell now, she sounded similar but there was a light trill there that hadn’t been before. It was a beautiful sound.
“Well you’re awake, let’s go!” Emmett started to tug on her arm but Bella held firm, looking down at her body in surprise as it failed to yield to him.
“Where are we going?”
“Hunting, of course! Aren’t you hungry?”
Her gorgeous face contorted in confusion. “I don’t know. I guess I sort of am but everything is coming at me all at once. I want to hear about my transformation, I want to run, I want to hunt, I want to spend time with my husband…” At those words I was back by her side, scooping her into my arms.
“I’d be happy to fulfill any and all of those wishes, my love. Let’s start with the last first.”
“Oh no you don’t! You said we could go hunting and we’re going to do it!” Emmett was in front of the door now, a scowl crossing his face, an immovable mountain depriving me of alone time with my wife.
“You know, Bella is stronger than you are now. I can just turn her loose on you and we’ll get our way.”
A grin lit his face, his dimples winking in his delight. “Yes! Let’s wrestle, Bella!” Naturally he would want that.
“Just a minute, boys, I want to talk to Bella.” Carlisle took a seat on the now unoccupied bed and looked at her with wonder. “Tell us about the transformation. What do you remember?”
Her perfect brow furrowed in concentration. “Well, I remember Edward and I out on the blanket and him…uh…anyway, I remember him kissing my neck and then I felt like I was floating for awhile. Then I felt like someone started a fire inside of me but right after that feeling hit, it stopped. Well, I guess it didn’t really stop but it didn’t hurt as bad? More like I was in a really hot bath I guess? Then it got even better for awhile, then back to the hot bath feeling and calming again.” She broke off and looked as Jasper. “Was that you?”
“Partly. Actually, I’m pretty sure the hot bath feeling was Edward. For some reason when he touched you it diminished your pain. He stayed touching you the entire time.” She placed her hand on my neck and I felt that electrical hum between us again. “I used my ability to lessen even that, though I had to leave from time to time to replenish my strength. That’s when the hot feeling would return I imagine.”
“Thank you, both of you, for making it easier on me. There are really not enough words to thank you. I can’t think of them.” Her beauty was marred by a frown.
“Love, you have nothing to thank us for. We’re just both happy to have been able to help you.” She continued to caress my neck and my mind started to wander to ways she could show me her thanks, if she really wanted to.
“Amazing! This transformation is surely unprecedented. For a vampire to come out of it with minimal memory of pain is just amazing. I knew Jasper would be of some help but combined with the connection you and Edward have…it’s fascinating.” Carlisle was looking at us like we were lab rats again. Thank God he couldn’t take us to medical conferences, I had a feeling Bella, Jasper and I would be on display for the world to study if he could get away with it.
“Perhaps we should take you hunting, love, I’d like to spend some time alone with you but I think it’d be best to do that after you hunger was sated.” So I could satisfy a wholly different hunger. Dang, why don’t they get a room already, he looks like he wants to eat her, again. I growled at Emmett.
Whatever he’s thinking, he’s probably right, Edward. I can feel your lust spiking from over here. It’s a tad bit distracting. Get it under control. She’s feeling a little overwhelmed right now, you need to guide her a bit. She’s doing incredibly well; she’s very controlled for a newborn. I’ve never seen anything like it. Still, we don’t need to take any chances. Jasper was right; we needed to get her hunting.
“Wait!” Alice was back at my side again, directing me toward the dresser mirror. “You have to show her how good she looks.” Bella tensed in my arms; clearly a little fearful at what she might see when she looked at herself for the first time.
“It’s alright love, you’re absolutely gorgeous.” She was, too. Her higher cheekbones made her face look more distinct. Her dark hair was even richer than before, falling in graceful curves down her streamlined body. I knew she’d be a bit disconcerted about her eyes but they would change rapidly once she started our vegetarian diet. The fear did not fade from her face but she nodded at me, letting me know she was ready to look.
I put her back on her feet in front of the mirror and watched as she looked at herself. Her red eyes widened as she took in her appearance, her hand reaching up to touch her cheek, her hair, her now perfectly straight nose. “I look like me, but better.” She was marveling at the changes in herself and I was relieved by her reaction. She’d always had such a poor sense of self worth that I wanted her to embrace the new her, even though I thought she hadn’t changed that much and she was as beautiful to me today as she was a week ago. “What about my eyes?” A frown stole across her lovely features.
“They’ll turn gold like ours in a few months, Bella.”
“Unless you slip!” Emmett chortled. Her frown deepened at that declaration.
Before I could say anything to him, Alice linked an arm around Bella’s waist and chimed in. “She won’t. Trust me.” I did and it was clear that Bella did as well as her frown faded and a soft smile took its place.
“I certainly hope not.” Esme walked over then and stood in front of the mirror with Bella, wrapping her arms around her shoulders.
“We all have faith in you dear.” I took in the reflection before me, the three most important women in my world standing together, strong and united, and felt unprecedented happiness. Why had I resisted the idea of making Bella one of us for so long? This moment was more than I could ever have imagined. My peace was shattered at the sound of Rose clearing her throat from behind us.
I turned and raised an eyebrow at her, silently daring her to ruin the moment with one of her barbs at Bella. “I’m glad you made it through, Bella.” To say I was shocked by those words was an understatement and it was clear I was not alone in that sentiment. Everybody looked stunned, even Emmett though he’d probably pushed her to do it. Rose glanced wearily at all of us and sighed. “I can be nice, you know, and just because I don’t approve doesn’t mean I wanted her to suffer either.”
Bella turned to face her. “Thanks, Rosalie.” Rose nodded and left the room, Emmett watching her go with a look of pride on his face. I’m so glad she listened to me. I gave him a nod and a smile of thanks. We all looked at one another at a loss for what to say in that moment.
Jasper broke the silence. “I really think we should take Bella out hunting now. She’s got great control but I’d rather not chance it any longer.” How is she doing it? She should be clawing at the walls by now. Is this her gift? Self control?
Carlisle stepped forward. “Yes, I think that would be best. Bella, how are you feeling now?”
“A little less anxious, maybe a little hungrier? There’s a burning in my throat, it’s been there since I woke up although it’s getting stronger now. Is that normal?”
He nodded at her reassuringly. “Yes, that is perfectly normal. You need to feed and the burn will diminish. It won’t go away entirely but it will lessen and be far more tolerable as you go.”
I took Bella’s hand back in mine and asked if she was ready to go. She looked down at the dress Alice had put on her and raised her eyebrows at our tiny sister. “What? You can hunt in that!”
“No, Alice, I really can’t. It’s too tight, how am I supposed to run in this?” Alice huffed and ran out of the room, returning a second later with a pair of jeans and t-shirt.
“Fine, here. When you get back we’re going to have a lesson in fashion, it’s time for you to embrace your inner goddess.” Bella snorted and rolled her eyes.
Emmett had enough and ushered everyone out of the room. “Change, be quick about it. Let’s go!” I watched as Bella bit her lip and slipped out of her dress, sliding on the new clothes with a speed and elegance that she hadn’t possessed only days prior.
She grinned at me. “That was really easy.”
“Yes, love, you’re doing wonderfully. How are you so focused and controlled?”
She paused for a second. “I’m not sure, exactly. I just keep telling myself to remain calm and to concentrate on what everyone is saying and doing. It seems to be working for me.”
“It certainly is. Jasper is amazed by you. So am I, but then that’s the norm for me where you’re concerned.” She smiled and I knew she’d be blushing now if she could. “Of course, I still can’t hear your mind. I’d hoped that might change when you were more like me but you remain a mystery.”
“Good! I like knowing my thoughts are protected from you. If you could hear the things I think about you sometimes…”
I put on my sexiest smile. “And just what are you thinking?” I purred.
She giggled. “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a mystery now would it?”
I affected a pout. “It’s just not fair. The one person whose thoughts I want to hear and I can’t get at them.”
She stood on her tip toes and kissed me. “Instead of telling you, I’d rather show you.” I growled and pushed her up against the door, pressing my lips more firmly to hers.
“Edward! Bella! I’m breaking down that door in ten seconds. Get out here, now!” Damn Emmett. I sighed and released her, knowing he’d make good on his threat.
“I’m going to hold you to that later, love.”
She pressed another quick kiss to my lips. “I hope you do.” We linked hands and exited the bedroom, met with a scowling Emmett and a laughing Jasper.
“Finally! I’ve been waiting for this for three days, time to go find Bella a bear!” He bounded out the door and was lost in the forest before we could even react. “Are you coming?” His voice echoed from within the trees.
“Ready Bella?” She nodded and took a deep breath, releasing my hand and standing still for a moment. “Just start running, love, it’s easy.” She flashed me a grin and took off, running with a speed and precision that was lovely to watch. I looked at Jasper. “Shall we join them?” He didn’t bother to answer, disappearing into the trees. I took off after them, easily catching up to Jasper.
I caught Bella’s scent, a hundred yards ahead of me to the east and took off in her direction. I caught up to her about ten seconds later, marveling at her grace and beauty as she darted through the trees. Her long hair flowed behind her; her eyes were glowing with excitement as her body cut effortlessly through the foliage. She glanced over at me and laughed, kicking her legs a little harder and trying to outrun me. I let her get a little lead and then caught up to her, newborn or not she wasn’t faster than me. She pouted rather adorably when she realized that she couldn’t beat me but the pout quickly dissolved into giggles as she reveled in running.
“Do you remember the first time I ran with you? We’ve come a long way since then.”
I laughed at the memory of Bella clutched to me, scared to death and unable to even climb off my back after I ran her back from the meadow. She’d been petrified that I was going to run her into a tree. Look at her now, running with abandon, not worried in the least about any branches hitting her or tripping and falling. “I’ll say. You were petrified, thinking I’d run you into a tree, as if I would ever hurt you like that.”
“Hey, I got used to it eventually, even came to love it after awhile.”
“I just find it amusing that you accepted my being a vampire more easily than you got accustomed to running with me.”
“Running with you was scarier than your being a vampire.”
I laughed in disbelief. “And that, Bella, is what makes you special. I don’t think there’s another person in the world that would say something like that.”
Jasper caught up to us and shook his head. “She is a weird one, I’ll say that.”
“Hey, I am not weird!” Without stopping, Bella yanked off a tree branch and threw it at Jasper and me. We both ducked while I admired the force behind the throw. Bella looked surprised as the branch cracked against another tree and effectively sliced the trunk in half. “Um, wow.”
“Yes, love, you are very strong right now, remember?”
“It’s one thing to know it, another to see it and feel it. I can feel strength flowing through my body now, it feels strange.”
“You’ll get used to it, learn to channel and control it. We’ll all help you,” Jasper assured her. “You’re already doing incredibly well.” She thanked him for his compliment; his words clearly making her feel good about herself.
I was about to echo his words but stopped when I caught a scent on the breeze. I froze and Bella instinctively stopped with me, her face turning in the direction from which the aroma was coming. “You smell that, don’t you?”
She wrinkled her adorable nose and nodded. “What is that?”
“Deer, probably two hundred yards from here. Inhale and tell me what you feel like doing.” She took a deep breath and tensed, her body bunching as if she were ready to spring. Jasper nodded in approval.
“I want to go to them.” Her words came through gritted teeth, her sweet voice sounding more guttural.
“Then go. Let your body guide you, you already know what to do. It’s instinct. Let it take over for you.” Jasper instructed her. Bella grunted and took off in the direction of the deer, moving like wind through the trees. We followed her, keeping a discreet distance so that she wouldn’t feel like her hunt was being threatened. Newborns tended to react badly to the presence of others when they went after their prey.
We got within twenty yards of her and held back, watching as she came to a clearing in the woods. There were five deer drinking from a small stream that trickled through the forest. Bella ran towards them without a moment’s hesitation, barreling into the clearing and leaping in their direction. She took down a large buck, crashing to the ground with it, her jaws clamped down on its jugular. The other deer scattered but Jasper and I let them go, just watching as Bella made her first kill. She drained the buck in a matter of seconds, blood trickling down her ruby lips and staining the top of her white t-shirt. She pushed the deer away and turned to us. “How did I do?”
“You were perfect, love.”
Jasper cuffed me on the back of the head. “You did well, Bella. However, you could improve a little on cleanliness and technique.” She won’t learn if you don’t tell her, there’s encouraging and then there’s sugarcoating.
A little cloud came down over her face and I longed to go comfort her. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, there were five deer there. You took down one, beautifully I might add, but the other four got away and you’re still thirsty, aren’t you?” She frowned and nodded. “Well, in the future, you need to take down more than one at a time. You could have taken out the whole herd in a couple seconds.”
“How?”
Jasper chuckled. “Easy, you have two arms, use them. Break their necks, they can’t run, then you can take your time feeding and getting your fill.”
Bella bit her lip and nodded. “Okay, I see, you’re right. Next time I’ll take more than one. I don’t know that I need five to fill me up though.”
“Yes, that’s probably a bit much. For your size, I’d say two or three would suffice. Maybe not now though, as a newborn you can and will want to take more.” Jasper’s advice was good and I was glad that he was giving it to her straight. My urge to coddle her was hard to let go of, I was glad he was there to help guide her.
Bella looked down at herself, taking in her bloodstained shirt. “And cleanliness?”
“That comes with experience; I really don’t expect you to come away without being a mess your first time out. You’ll learn to control the blood flow; it helps if you pinch the nerve so that the blood doesn’t gush as quickly.”
“Okay, thanks Jasper. I’ll try to do better the next time. Should we track the deer that got away now? I still need more.”
Jasper thought about it for a minute. “No, we’d be lucky to come upon just one, better to keep moving and see what we find deeper in the forest. Speaking of that, where is Emmett? I can’t believe he missed her first kill.” It was strange; he’d been all about seeing Bella hunt and now he was nowhere to be found. I reached for him mentally but couldn’t hear a thing.
“He was headed east, I guess we should go that way and see if he’s found anything. Bella might appreciate a carnivore this time out. How did the deer taste, love?”
She started to run back in the direction we’d come from, Jasper and I falling in step beside her. “It tasted okay, I guess. It was kind of like eating a hot dog when I was craving a steak though.” I laughed at her analogy, it was very apt.
“It’s an acquired taste, to be sure, and it will never truly satisfy you the way that human blood would. It’s what we crave. Sadly it will always be that way, but you learn to get beyond it and you’ll find certain types of blood appeal to you more than others. Carnivores tend to taste better to us because they’re more like humans than the omnivores are.”
She grinned at me as she darted back to the east; we’d reached Emmett’s scent again and were headed in his direction. “You mean like mountain lion?”
“Exactly like mountain lion.”
“What about you, Jasper? What’s your favorite thing to hunt?”
Humans. The answer was instinctual and I didn’t hold it against him, though he looked irritated at himself for the thought. “My favorite animal is actually the tiger. I’ve only hunted a few of them when we went to Africa for a little while, but their flavor was most appealing. It’s been years since I’ve had one and they’re endangered now so I wouldn’t hunt them if I could but there was richness to the blood that appealed to me.”
“Interesting. I guess you guys have hunted all sorts of strange animals over time.”
Jasper laughed. “Yes, there isn’t much out there we haven’t tried. Emmett actually took down a rhinoceros on that African trip. He said it tasted like a rat. None of the rest of us was willing to try it after that.”
I snorted, remembering his face when he’d taken down the huge beast only to find its blood as appealing as that of a common varmint. “What other strange animals have you had?”
“Alligators, lions, pythons, gorillas…Africa was rife with things to try. We just couldn’t stay there for long because of the sun, none of us liked being confined to only being out at night. Edward even took down a cheetah or two.” I smiled at the memory of chasing the fast cat through the desert, the only animal that could somewhat challenge me in a race. It had been stimulating.
Would you guys quit with the yapping and get up here already? Took you long enough! I’ve been tracking this bear for ten minutes now and I’m more than ready to take it down myself if Bella isn’t going to get here. It’s not every day that I give up bear, you know! “Emmett found a bear.”
“Bear?” Bella’s fiery eyes widened.
“Yes, love, and he’s letting you have it, if you’re interested.” She didn’t need to be told twice, taking off in the direction I pointed. Jasper and I hurried after her, anxious to see Bella take on her first carnivore. She caught up to Emmett quickly, barely pausing when he pointed her in the direction of the bear. I could smell it now, that potent musky smell that indicated a predator in the area. Emmett clambered up the nearest tree, gaining a perfect perch to watch Bella as she came upon the bear.
It was a black bear, at least seven feet tall. It caught Bella’s scent right before she came upon it, turning in her direction and letting out a ferocious growl. It didn’t even cause her a second of hesitation, she leaped in the air and came down in between the bear’s open paws. They looked like they were in an embrace, dancing to music only they could hear. The bear’s claws attempted to rake across her back, not finding purchase in her now marble-like skin. Her t-shirt shredded but she was unmarked. I felt my muscles relax; unbeknownst to me they’d tensed up as I watched her take on the beast. It went against every instinct I had letting her wrestle with a bear.
Emmett let out catcalls from his spot at the top of a large oak tree. “That’s it, Bella, show him who the real predator is!” She lunged toward the bear’s neck, her teeth snapping at his neck but coming away empty when the bear jerked back at the last second. “No! Don’t bite too early, play with him for awhile!” Bella growled in response, concentrating on the thousand pound creature in her viselike grip. The bear raised a paw and brought it down on Bella’s head. I winced in response to the thunderous sound as he connected with her skull. I started to run to her but Jasper caught my arm before I could move.
“She’s fine, Edward. She isn’t human, breakable Bella anymore. Look at her, she’s perfect.” And she was, her head was still connected to her body and she was gaining leverage on the bear, bending him toward the ground. They started rolling, sending clouds of dirt and grass flying. Emmett chortled with glee, continuing to shout encouragement.
“Get him in a headlock! Pin him, we’ll see if you can hold him for longer than ten seconds. Watch the paw!” His fascination with the creature that had nearly ended him hadn’t waned in all these years. Emmett would always prolong his battles with bears, refusing to let them end too early, getting revenge for the one fight he’d ever lost. The fact that he’d let Bella have this one was a true testament to his love for her; Emmett didn’t relinquish bears to anybody, even Rosalie. But he was anxious for her to get a taste of his favorite food.
Watching Bella roll around with the bear, a look of concentration in her fiery eyes was surprisingly arousing. The quick motion, the grunts and the flexibility on display had me excited in a way that wasn’t remotely related to the hunt. I felt Jasper shift next to me, picking up on my mood. Come on, Edward, like you two aren’t bad enough to be around at the house? Now you have to get turned on while she’s hunting? I shrugged somewhat sheepishly, how could I help it? I’m sure he’d had that reaction to Alice when she was hunting and I know Emmett had with Rose, more than once they’d disrupted a hunting trip with their inability to keep their hands off one another.
Bella had finally had enough of her wrestling match with the bear. Her teeth sank effortlessly into the furry flesh and rivulets of red flowed into her mouth. I licked my lips as I watched her drink from the animal that was easily ten times her size. The dark blood stained her ruby lips and dripped along her neck. I fought the urge to go to her, knowing that she’d still be focused on her kill. She drank deeply, throwing in little moans and growls that went straight through my body and left me shuddering with desire for her.
Suddenly she raised her head and her crimson eyes seemed to see right through me. She dropped the drained carcass and straightened up, watching me unblinkingly. Her gaze was filled with a different kind of hunger now and my body responded. Jasper tensed next to me. Oh Lord, here we go. Go…that was a good idea. “Leave, please.” I meant to sound polite, I truly did, but my voice had a possessive edge to it that came out in a growl.
Jasper shuddered in reaction to the emotions rolling off Bella and me as we stared at one another. “Yeah, we’re going. Come on, Em.”
Emmett hopped down from the tree, landing to my left and seemingly oblivious to the tension in the air around him. “What? I don’t want to leave! We need to celebrate Bella’s first real kill! Come on, little sis, I’ll race you, first one up the mountain gets the next bear we come across!”
“Dammit, Emmett, pay attention will you?”
Emmett’s looked back and forth between us, finally starting to clue in. “Oh man, again? Can’t you two control your hormones for a few hours? I want to race and then we have to give Bella her birthday presents. Sexing can wait for later.”
I glared at him. “Go, now.”
He heaved a much put upon sigh and stomped off toward home. “Fine, guess we’ll go home and wait for you two to have clear heads again. Shouldn’t take more than a year or two. Humph.” Jasper just laughed and took off with a “see you later” tossed in our general direction. I need to find Alice. I grinned and swung my gaze back to Bella and saw that she hadn’t moved a muscle. Her eyes were trained to me, moving up and down my body as she licked the blood from her lips. It was one of the most erotic things I’d ever seen.
I took a step toward her and she stayed still, watching me. After another couple tentative steps I broke out into a run, closing the distance between us in about two seconds. I reached out with my right hand and ran it along her cheekbone, softly tracing the contours of her face. She leaned into my caress, still watching me with those ruby orbs. I leaned forward and ran my tongue over her lips, tasting the last traces of the bear’s blood mixed with the lavender and freesia taste that was pure Bella. I trailed my tongue down her neck, removing every last remainder of the other animals scent and mixing mine with hers. She whimpered in response to my ministrations, tilting her head to give me better access as I ran my tongue along the top of her t-shirt.
“My Bella, you taste incredible,” I murmured against her skin, pressing kisses and little licks along her collar bone and back up to her lips, recapturing them with my own. Her arms came up around my neck as she pressed her body fully to mine. I thought I might miss the heat of her against me but there was a comfort in having us be the same temperature. She still felt warm to me and so very familiar. We felt right together. Her lips pressed against mine with an unrestrained hunger and now I was able to meet hers with my own. I answered her just as hungrily, tightening my grip on her tiny waist and aligning our centers where I wanted to be joined with her.
“Edward,” she moaned into my lips, rocking me to my very core. “I want you, right now.” Before I could react, her hands dropped from around my neck to my shirt, which she tore from my body with one slight tug. My nostrils flared in reaction and I returned the favor, tearing her shirt right down the middle and revealing a white satin bra. Her lips crashed against mine as her fingers yanked on my jeans, tearing them off and leaving me clad only in my black cotton boxers. I unbuttoned her jeans and then tore them in half, not having the patience to pull them down and allow her to step out of them. I wanted to be inside her, without delay. I dispatched of her underwear in the same fashion, tearing it from her body as she trembled against me.
Her pale white skin glinted as sunlight filtered through the trees, that diamond-like reflection that I’d once loathed in myself suiting her perfectly. My Bella was made to shine. I tore my lips from hers and moved them down her neck; biting and sucking on her in a fashion I’d never dared to when she was a frail little human. Her response to me only made me more fervent, moans rocked through her body and her hands pulled me against her, tangling in my hair none too gently. I didn’t care, though, I didn’t want gentle. I tugged her away from the dead bear and over to the oak tree that Emmett had been perched upon. I pulled off my underwear and entered her swiftly, pressing her back into the tree as she arched against me and wrapped her legs around me.
I didn’t calculate for the force I could use now, the force that we would both have combined and with the first thrust we felled the tree, ripping it up from the ground via its roots, the earth shifting below us. I held fast to Bella. Rather than letting that stop us, I let us fall with the tree, Bella’s back resting against the large trunk and me lying above her. Her hips thrust up to meet mine; the sound of our bodies crashing together thunderously. I let my inner beast take over and rutted against her like the animal that she brought out in me.
She kept gasping my name as her lips moved over my face, her teeth sinking into my neck, seeking to mark me as I had marked her. Her teeth didn’t penetrate my skin but I could feel a hint of pain mixed with pure pleasure as she nipped my skin. I growled into her neck, my lips unerringly finding the spot where I’d made her mine forever. I bit all down her neck, sinking my teeth into her shoulder, dragging them down to her breast where I took a nipple into my mouth and nibbled her for real this time. She came against me, bucking up as she screamed my name, her voice echoing through the forest.
I moved my hips faster as Bella met me thrust for thrust, her strong legs gripping me to her like a vise, her hips bouncing off the tree. My hands held tightly to her, clutching her as I’d never dared to before. I lost all sense of time and place as I took her the way I’d always wanted to, rough and hard. Every ounce of passion that I’d stored for her over the months spilled out of me as I made her mine. I felt her tightening around me again and let myself go, coming with her harder than I’d ever come before, not having to worry about hurting her. I collapsed on top of her as she giggled and tangled her hand in my hair.
“Wow…and to think I thought it was good before. I can’t believe just how much you had to hold back.”
I chuckled and pressed my lips back to my mark on her neck. “Well I couldn’t exactly take you like that before you were changed.”
She pushed my hair out of my eyes and raised my head so I could look down at her. “Thank you.”
I kissed her nose. “For what?”
“Thank you for being so careful with me before and for not being careful with me now. Thank you for wanting me with you forever and thank you for making it so I could be.”
I gave her a soft kiss then. “Thank you for loving me despite what I am and for showing me that I’m not the monster I always thought I was. Thank you for wanting forever with me and for giving up so much to make it possible.”
“It was worth it.”
“I’ll do my best to make sure that you always feel that way.” I kissed her gently again, savoring her in a way I hadn’t when I’d taken her moments ago.
A tinkling laugh penetrated my subconscious and I heard the unmistakable mental voice of Alice. I left some clothes for both of you on the big rock to the north. You’re welcome. I laughed and sat up, tugging Bella from the tree. “Alice brought us some replacement clothes; I guess she saw this coming.”
She giggled. “Or Jasper and Emmett clued her in.”
“Good point. Come on, love, I know they’re anxious to give you your presents, as am I.”
“Wasn’t this present enough?” A scowl stole over her beautiful face at the mention of presents. She was still my Bella and she still hated getting gifts.
“No, love, this wasn’t a present, this was your everyday exercise regimen. I’ve got to keep you in shape so you can keep up with me.”
She put her hands on her hips and scowled at me. “We’ll see who has to keep up with whom, old man. I’m the strong newborn, remember?”
“How could I forget? Come on, I’ll race you to our clothes and then home. Winner gets to pick the time and place of the next exercise.” She laughed and took off to find her clothes, her hair flying behind her, the echoes of her giggles bouncing off the trees. I followed behind her, more than happy to let her win this time.
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